Platform Studies
Description
JC Plantin et al.:
"Platform studies explores how computing devices (such as Intel-chip-based PCs) and software environments (such as gaming systems) affect the characteristics of application software built upon them. In media studies, the concept of “platform” has been extended from game design (Montfort and Bogost, 2009) to content-sharing websites (Gillespie, 2010; Helmond, 2015) and social media applications (Langlois and Elmer, 2013; van Dijck, 2013). Key features discussed in platform studies include programmability, affordances and constraints, connection of heterogeneous actors, and accessibility of data and logic through application programming interfaces (APIs)." (https://www.academia.edu/27555302/Infrastructure_studies_meet_platform_studies_in_the_age_of_Google_and_Facebook)
More Information
- Article: Plantin JC. Lagoze C., Edwards P., Sandvig C., (2016) “Infrastructure studies meet platform studies in the age of Google and Facebook,” New Media & Society. Pre-publication version, August 2016