Towards Building Healthy Digital Platforms: Navigating the Challenges of Effective Platform Governance
This panel explores the multifaceted challenges of building and governing healthy digital platforms as we are grappling with complex issues such as:
• data privacy and security,
• antitrust pressures and anticompetitive behaviours,
• algorithmic opacity and lack of trust and accountability,
• digital divide and accessibility barriers,
• Content moderation, misinformation and fake news,
• Ethical monetization and business practices,
• Reputation systems,
• Worker rights,
• Integration of emerging technology integration into the platforms,
• …
This panel welcomes papers addressing the following key areas of inquiry:
• Theoretical and empirical studies using diverse qualitative and quantitative approaches that provide Insights on the governance of digital platforms
• Emerging theoretical, conceptual, and empirical approaches for managing digital platforms
• Evaluations of platform health and effectiveness In service delivery
• Analysis of different actors' roles in influencing policy outcomes through platform participation
• Critical analysis of tech companies' contributions to addressing challenges of governing digital platforms
• Examination of how tech companies, particularly Big Tech, may exacerbate existing platform governance issues
• Comparative studies of different platform governance models
• Assessment of risks and unintended consequences associated with various governance structures
• Comparative studies across different sectors and national contexts
• Theoretically informed case studies examining various types of platforms, such as social media platforms, blockchain-based systems, sharing economy platforms, crowdsourcing initiatives.
• Analysis of the potential positive and negative roles of AI in platform governance
• …
We welcome empirical, theoretical, and comparative approaches to these questions. Interdisciplinary perspectives are particularly encouraged.