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From mutualism to commensalism: Assessing the evolving relationship between complementors and digital platforms

Open access
Gastaldi, Luca, Appio, Francesco Paolo, Trabucchi, Daniel, Buganza, Tommaso, Corso, Mariano·2024·Information Systems Journal
DOI 10.1111/isj.12491
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Abstract

Abstract Digital platforms are increasingly dominating markets by bringing together two or more groups of users and facilitating the exchange of value between them. Although several significant issues concerning the dynamics of digital platforms have been addressed, much of the research effort has focused on the platform owner. On the other hand, research on complementors neither takes into account the individual level nor clearly shows what an individual complementor can do to benefit from platform participation. By studying the evolving relationship between YouTube and its ecosystem of complementors (content creators), we shed light on the strategies that complementors use to progressively avoid but still benefit from platform governance. We find that content creators are, first, in a mutual relationship with the YouTube platform, benefiting from direct monetization. Then, they shift to commensalism as the relationship evolves, allowing them to avoid YouTube's governance and take advantage of multi‐homing. Our findings illuminate the effects of platform governance, particularly how it shapes the actions of complementors.

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  • Existing platform literature has primarily focused on the determinants and the consequences of complementors' decision to multihome.

    “Existing platform literature has primarily focused on the determinants and the consequences of complementors' decision to multihome”

    From Smart Timing for Smart Products? Complementor Multihoming in Nascent Platform Markets (2026) · cites this paper as Gastaldi et al. 2024

    Section 2.3 discusses conditions that make multi-homing easier and its effects on platforms and complementors. The Introduction also describes complementors’ reasons for multi-homing and its drawbacks. These passages support the topic of the claim, but do not establish that determinants and consequences of the decision to multi-home have been the primary focus of existing platform literature; section 2.3 says the literature remains unclear about its impact. (LLM, conf=0.79)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Prior literature has largely overlooked the timing of multihoming as a key strategic dimension.

    “this focus has largely overlooked a key strategic dimension of complementors' multihoming decisions: when to multihome.”

    From Smart Timing for Smart Products? Complementor Multihoming in Nascent Platform Markets (2026) · cites this paper as Gastaldi et al. 2024

    Section 2.3, “What is still missing from the debate?” (page unavailable), says the literature provides little understanding of how content creators exploit platforms over time and that the impact of multi-homing remains unclear. This supports a broader research gap, but the paper does not specifically say that prior literature overlooked when complementors decide to multihome. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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2 of the 117 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 7

  1. Cennamo, C. (2016). Building the value of next-generation platforms. Journal of Management, 44, 3038-3069.
  2. Martin, J. A., & Eisenhardt, K. M. (2010). Rewiring: Cross-business-unit collaborations in multi-business Organisations. Academy of Management Journal, 53, 255-301.
  3. Santal o, J. (2015). How to avoid platform traps how to avoid platform traps. MIT Sloan Management Review, 57, 12-15.
  4. Morgan Kaufmann.
  5. Zhu, F., & Iansiti, M. (2019). Why some platforms thrive and others don't. Harvard Business Review, 97(1), 118-125.
  6. Francesco Paolo Appio is a Full Professor of Innovation at Paris School of Business (Paris, France). He earned both the French national qualification as Professeur des Universités in Management Science (CNRS 06) and the Italian national qualification as Professore Ordinario in Management (13/B2) and Business and Management Engineering (09/B3). He is a member of both the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) and the IEEE Association. He has been recently appointed as a Member of the Scientific Committee of the Artifi- cial Intelligence for Management Institute at the Abu Dhabi School of Management. All along his career, he vis- ited important international academic institutions such as Bocconi University (Italy), MIT Sloan School of Management (USA), and K.U. Leuven (Belgium). His research is interdisciplinary and mainly revolves around the impact of digital transformation on innovation at multiple levels (ecosystems, city, organization, teams), taking into account different perspectives such as sustainability, socio-technical systems, technological change, and innovation capabilities. He has recently been appointed as a member of the Editorial Board for the journals like Journal of Product Innovation Management, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, and IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. His research has been published in Journal of Product Innovation Management, Organization Studies, Long Range Planning, Technovation, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Interna- tional Journal of Production Research, Industrial Marketing Management, among others. He has served as guest editor of multiple special issues in journals like Journal of Product Innovation Management, Organisation Studies, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, and Journal of Urban Technology, and co-edited Handbooks on topics related to the digital transformation in the agribusiness sector and the impact of artificial intelligence on business and society. f.appio@psbedu.paris
  7. Daniel Trabucchi is a senior assistant professor at the School of Management, Politecnico di Milano. He also serves as a senior researcher in the LEADIN'Lab, the Laboratory for LEAdership, Design, and INnovation. His research interests are focused on innovation management, especially digital two-sided platforms and digital ser- vices. He is the co-author of 'Platform Thinking À Read the past. Write the future'. He co-founded Symplatform in 2018, the international conference on digital platforms that aims to match scholars and practitioners in the field. He co-founded and is scientific director of Platform Thinking HUB, the community of innovation leaders that aims to foster innovation through platform thinking, which is part of the Digital Innovation Observatories of Politecnico di Milano. He is also scientific director of IDeaLs, the global research platform founded by Politecnico di Milano aiming to develop innovative ways to engage people in transformation processes. He is a member of the scientific committee of the International Product Development Management Conference EIASM-IPDMC. He is Associate Editor and Social Media Editor of Creativity and Innovation Management. He has authored more than 70 scientific articles, including peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, and book chapters. His research has been published in relevant and recognised peer-reviewed journals such as Journal of Product Innovation Management, Technovation, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, R&D Management, Inter- national Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior and Research, Internet Research, Research-Technology Manage- ment, Creativity and Innovation Management, Technology Analysis and Strategic Management, and European Journal of Innovation Management; he is also a reviewer for many of these journals. daniel.trabucchi@polimi.it Tommaso Buganza is a full professor of Leadership & Innovation at the School of Management, Politecnico di Milano. He is also cofounder of LEADIN'Lab, the Laboratory for LEAdership, Design, and INnovation. He is a lec- turer in innovation management and project management, responsible for the Project Management Academy, and coordinator of the innovation and training area at POLIMI Graduate School of Management. He is the co- author of 'Platform Thinking À Read the past. Write the future'. He is the chairman of the International Product Development Management Conference EIASM-IPDMC. He co-founded Symplatform in 2018, the international conference on digital platforms that aims to match scholars and practitioners in the field. He confounded and is scientific director of Platform Thinking HUB, the community of innovation leaders that aims to foster innovation through platform thinking, which is part of the Digital Innovation Observatories of Politecnico di Milano. l. Did you change your videos' content to adapt to these changes? m. Did you start to look for alternative platforms to post your content? n. Did you start to rely more on other sources of income (e.g., sponsored videos) as a result of changes?

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Authors
Gastaldi, L., Appio, F. P., Trabucchi, D., Buganza, T., & Corso, M.
Affiliations
  • Politecnico di Milano (IT)
  • Paris School of Business (FR)
  • School of Management Politecnico di Milano Milan Italy
Corresponding author
Appio, Francesco Paolo
ORCID
Venue
Information Systems Journal
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2023-12-07
Volume
34
Issue
4
Pages
1217-1263
ISSN
  • 1350-1917 (ISSN-L)
  • 1365-2575
DOI
10.1111/isj.12491
OpenAlex
W4389462919
Cited by
32
References
117
Citations by year
2026: 14 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 6
FWCI
6.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Information Systems Journal (publishedVersion)
  • Virtual Community of Pathological Anatomy (University of Castilla La Mancha) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Digital Platforms and Economics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Economy and Work Transformation
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Business Strategy and Innovation
Keywords
digital platforms, complementors, platform governance, mutualism, commensalism, content creators, YouTube, multihoming, platform monetization

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