A new book chapter by Fernando van der Vlist, Anne Helmond and Esther Weltevrede in The Routledge Companion to Mobile Media (edited by Gerard Goggin and Larissa Hjorth, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003166016-38.
This chapter introduces methods for analysing app ecosystems, emphasizing that apps are not stand-alone entities but exist within larger ecosystems. It outlines three approaches: apps “for that,” examining thematic collections of apps like those addressing the COVID-19 pandemic; apps “for” apps, focusing on apps developed for specific platforms like social media apps; and apps in apps, investigating third-party services embedded within apps. The chapter concludes by highlighting the importance of these approaches for understanding the cultural, economic and political dynamics of app ecosystems.
Link: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003166016-38.
(or: author’s pre-print PDF)