Infrastructure studies meet platform studies in the age of Google and Facebook
Open accessAbstract
Two theoretical approaches have recently emerged to characterize new digital objects of study in the media landscape: infrastructure studies and platform studies. Despite their separate origins and different features, we demonstrate in this article how the cross-articulation of these two perspectives improves our understanding of current digital media. We use case studies of the Open Web, Facebook, and Google to demonstrate that infrastructure studies provides a valuable approach to the evolution of shared, widely accessible systems and services of the type often provided or regulated by governments in the public interest. On the other hand, platform studies captures how communication and expression are both enabled and constrained by new digital systems and new media. In these environments, platform-based services acquire characteristics of infrastructure, while both new and existing infrastructures are built or reorganized on the logic of platforms. We conclude by underlining the potential of this combined framework for future case studies.
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- Authors
- Plantin, J.-C., Lagoze, C., Edwards, P. N., & Sandvig, C.
- Affiliations
- London School of Economics and Political Science (GB)
- University of Michigan (US)
- Corresponding author
- Plantin, Jean-Christophe
- Venue
- New Media & Society
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2016-08-04
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 293-310
- ISSN
- 1461-4448 (ISSN-L)
- 1461-7315
- OpenAlex
- W2501145764
- Cited by
- 1,663
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 313 · 2025: 178 · 2024: 190 · 2023: 190 · 2022: 223 · 2021: 209 · 2020: 159 · 2019: 102 · 2018: 76 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 62.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- orcid.org
- Locations
- New Media & Society (publishedVersion)
- London School of Economics and Political Science Research Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) (submittedVersion)
- London School of Economics and Political Science Theses Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- University of Michigan
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Networks and Communications › Media and Digital Communication
- Social Sciences › Communication › Media and Communication Studies
- Social Sciences › Communication › Cultural Studies and Postmodernism
- Keywords
- infrastructure studies, platform studies, digital platforms, Google, Facebook, open web, digital infrastructure, platform logic, new media, public interest services, media regulation
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