Research – Anne Helmond

New book – Platforms: A Critical Introduction (Polity)

Platforms Everywhere: Understanding What Platforms Are and How to Study Them For years, much of public and academic debates about platforms revolved around social media. Today, attention has shifted toward artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructures, and AI platforms. Yet many of the underlying concerns remain the same: concentration of power, data extraction, infrastructure dependency, governance, and… Read more New book – Platforms: A Critical Introduction (Polity)

Posted on June 8, 2026 by Anne

The datafied web: a round-doc discussion

In this discussion we examine the notion of the datafied web by situating it historically and methodologically. By mobilizing insights from a range of fields, the discussion broadens the conceptual and methodological approaches and tools available for studying the datafied web. A dialogue between Migle Bareikyte, Carolin Gerlitz, Sebastian Giessmann, Jonathan W. Y. Gray, Anne… Read more The datafied web: a round-doc discussion

Posted on May 13, 2026 by Anne

The Platformization of Everything: From the End of the Like Button to AI Infrastructure in Space

Over ten years ago I coined the term ‘platformization’ (2015) to understand how platforms expand beyond their own boundaries in Social Media + Society. Editor Zizi Papacharissi invited me, along others, to celebrate the journal’s 10 years’ anniversary by reflecting on a decade of platformization. The Platformization of Everything: From the End of the Like… Read more The Platformization of Everything: From the End of the Like Button to AI Infrastructure in Space

Posted on April 17, 2026 by Anne

Platform: A Tapestry of Meanings and Metaphors

A new book chapter by Anne Helmond and Fernando van der Vlist in Digital Media Metaphors (edited by Johan Farkas and Marcus Maloney), http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781032674612-4 This chapter explores the metaphorical ‘tapestry’ of meanings woven into the ‘platform’ metaphor, tracing its journey from a technical term in the computing sphere to a central concept in digital media.… Read more Platform: A Tapestry of Meanings and Metaphors

Posted on October 25, 2024October 24, 2024 by Anne

Governing Digital Infrastructures for a Secure and Sustainable Future

With ten researchers affiliated with universities in the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Sweden, conducting research on digital infrastructures and communication, we wrote a joint submission in response to the European Commission’s White Paper ‘How to master Europe’s digital infrastructure needs?’. We structure our response to this consultation process along four key demands. European policy-making… Read more Governing Digital Infrastructures for a Secure and Sustainable Future

Posted on July 11, 2024July 11, 2024 by Anne