The purpose of this article is to operationalise an evolutionary perspective on the history social media and trace Facebook's evolution from a networking site "platform-as-infrastructure". Social platforms such as Facebook change constantly level their platform architectures, interfaces, governance frameworks, control mechanisms, all while responding larger environments. By examining programmability corporate partnerships, we develop empirical historical analysis platform's boundary dynamics...

Critical scholars contend that ‘There is no AI without Big Tech’. This study delves into the substantial role played by major technology conglomerates, including Amazon, Microsoft, and Google (Alphabet), in ‘industrialisation of artificial intelligence’. concept encapsulates shift technologies from research development stage to practical, real-world applications across diverse industry sectors, resulting new dependencies associated investments. We employ term ‘Big AI’ encapsulate structural...

This article discusses methodological approaches to app studies, focusing on their embeddedness and situatedness within multiple infrastructural settings. Our approach involves close attention the multivalent affordances of apps as software packages, particularly capacity enter into diverse groupings relations depending different situations. The changing situations they evoke participate in, accordingly, make visible accountable in a variety unique ways. Therefore, engaging with even staging...

Social media platforms’ digital advertising revenues depend considerably on partnerships. Business partnerships are endemic and essential to the business of platforms, yet their role remains relatively underexplored in literature platformisation platform power. This article considers significance social ecosystem better understand how industry infrastructure they build, mediate shape power governance. We argue that partners contribute ‘platformisation’ through collective development...

‘Super apps’ are on the rise. This study explores characteristics, origins, and manifestations of these apps worldwide, presenting concept ‘super-appification’ to describe processes conglomeration in global digital economy. Super aim become deeply integrated into people’s everyday lives, capturing monetising essential activities. By analysing 41 super apps, we identify four distinct types ‘super-app constellations’, showcasing different patterns dynamics conglomeration: ‘Swiss-Army Knife’...

Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are becoming increasingly significant areas of research for scholars in science technology studies (STS) media studies. In March 2020, Waymo, Google/Alphabet’s autonomous vehicle project, introduced the ‘Open Dataset Virtual Challenge’, an annual competition leveraging their Waymo Open Dataset. This freely accessible dataset comprises annotated data from own vehicles. Yearly, has continued to host iterations this challenge,...

In this article, we propose a methodological outlook for historical platform studies to increase the prominence of historiography in field and practice web history archiving. We discuss challenges social media archiving research opportunities ‘platform’ by focusing on distinctive characteristics web-based ‘platforms’. Based our review literature, argue that it is critical foreground how contemporary platforms serve multiple user groups beyond end users (e.g. developers, business, investors)...

Researchers, policymakers, and competition regulation authorities worldwide recognize the utility of application programming interfaces (APIs) in powering digital economy driving datafication platformization processes. However, it remains unclear how APIs leading social media relate to platform governance this relationship evolved. This article traces evolution Facebook’s APIs, which evolved from a relatively simple interface for data access into complex layered interconnected arrangement....

This panel offers a reflection on the evolution and transformations of apps app studies over past decade, emphasizing how have seamlessly integrated into our daily routines shaped cultural economic landscape. process, known as ‘appification’, involves integrating various aspects life activities mobile applications, fundamentally altering we communicate, access information, make payments, use digital services (Dieter et al., 2019; Goggin, 2021; Morris Murray, 2018). Research in has evolved...

The artificial intelligence (AI) sector is experiencing rapid growth, with a projected market size of $1.3 trillion by 2032 according to industry reports. landscape shifted significantly the launch ChatGPT in late 2022, prompting major players like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta, alongside popular apps such as TikTok Snapchat, make substantial investments AI. There has been an influx new AI products updates, reshaping industry’s structure scale. Additionally, there surge acquisitions...

This study explores Big Data practices at Facebook through an investigation of the role commensuration or ‘the transformation different qualities into a common metric’ in structuration analysis and interaction with major online social media platform. It proposes conceptual framework demonstrates empirical potential pragmatic approach based on reading published materials available documentation. Facebook’s Warehousing Analytics Infrastructure serves as illustrative example to begin tracing...

“Big Tech” platform companies like Alphabet (Google), Apple, and Amazon are deeply invested in the future of automobility—from developing car-specific interfaces self-driving technology to establishing business partnerships with automakers. Far from business-as-usual, we explain how Big Tech is reshaping traditional automotive industry by making car “platform ready,” as imposed on web before it. The article considers this novel transformation automobility increasingly significant for...

‘Digital methods’ turn to medium-specific and online avenues for social cultural research. While these approaches foster empirical media studies, it has become increasingly challenging ‘follow the medium’ ‘repurpose’ its methods. The prominence of sensory such as ‘smart’ networked devices (e.g. mobile phones) in mundane practices their infrastructural dependencies confront scholars with highly contingent objects study. Yet, studying sensor-based is crucial, they enable continuous unnoticed...

Abstract There is a methodological tendency in work on diaspora and digital media for quantitative investigations to approach static ways that contrast with theories of as dynamic cultural formation. On the other hand, qualitative, ethnographic tends not engage methods data‐driven investigation. In this article, we sketch disciplinary disconnect address it by proposing model understanding digitally mediated formations combines techniques sensitivity ethical theoretical discussions migration...

This article provides an exploratory systematic mapping of the global ecosystem COVID-19 pandemic response apps.After considering policy updates by Google Play's and Apple's App Store, we analyse all available apps in July 2020; their different types; apps' developers geographical distribution; ecosystem's ' generativity' developers' responsiveness during unfolding pandemic; discursive positioning; material conditions development.Google Apple are gatekeepers these app ecosystems exercise...

This article critically examines mass surveillance technology revealed by Snowden’s disclosures. It addresses that we do not only live in a society where is deeply inscribed but more urgently, it increasingly difficult to study when its technologies and practices are distinguish from everyday routines. Considerably, many of the systems utilised for purposes were originally designed as proper technologies. Instead, they have effectively become being enrolled into particular surveillant...

This panel locates and theorizes platform power through five case studies, focussing on: 1) video sharing platforms, 2) app stores, 3) programmatic advertising networks, 4) labor staffing intermediaries, 5) cloud computing. Each study starts with the question: where do relations of dependence take shape on examined platform(s) how are these organized? Addressing this question, panelists hypothesize that is exerted, codified, operationalized around particular infrastructural services, which...

This paper discusses methodological approaches to app studies, focussing on their embeddedness and situatedness within multiple infrastructural settings. Our approach arises by paying close attention the multivalent affordances of apps as software packages, particularly capacity enter into diverse groupings relations depending different situations. The changing situations they evoke participate in, accordingly, makes visible accountable in a variety unique ways. Engaging with even staging...

Social media platform-industry partnerships are essential to understanding the politics and economics of social data circulating among platforms third parties. Using Facebook as a case study, this paper develops novel methodology for empirically surveying historical dynamics industry partner programs. is particularly emblematic one few dominant actors that functions both aggregator digital marketing platform whilst operating multiplicity dedicated programs cater wide array partners. We...