Big AI: Cloud Infrastructure and the Industrialisation of AI

A new open access article by Fernando van der Vlist, Anne Helmond, and Fabian Ferrari in: Big Data & Society, https://doi.org/10.1177/20539517241232630. Big AI: Cloud Infrastructure and the Industrialisation of AI In this paper we study the convergence of AI and Big Tech (or ‘Big AI’), and AI’s ‘industrialization’, i.e. its transition from R&D to real-world… Read more Big AI: Cloud Infrastructure and the Industrialisation of AI

From healthy communities to toxic debates: Disqus’ changing ideas about comment moderation

A new open access article by Johannes Paßmann, Anne Helmond, and Robert Jansma in Internet Histories. We use data from the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine to examine online commenting system Disqus’ shifting discourse about comment moderation and its increasing modes of platform interventionism. Crucially, we find that in the case of Disqus, the toxic is… Read more From healthy communities to toxic debates: Disqus’ changing ideas about comment moderation

Platform and app histories: Assessing source availability in web archives and app repositories

We just presented our forthcoming book chapter on ‘Platform and app histories: Assessing source availability in web archives and app repositories’ at the Engaging with Web Archives (#EWAvirtual) conference. Abstract In this chapter we discuss the research opportunities for historical studies of apps and platforms. Platforms and apps notoriously resist archiving due to their ephemerality… Read more Platform and app histories: Assessing source availability in web archives and app repositories

Social Media and Platform Historiography: Challenges and Opportunities

We just published a new article (open access🔓) on doing historical platform studies: Anne Helmond and Fernando van der Vlist (2019) “Social Media and Platform Historiography: Challenges and Opportunities.” TMG – Journal for Media History 22(1): 6–34. http://www.tmgonline.nl/articles/434/ Abstract In this article, we propose a methodological outlook for historical platform studies to increase the prominence… Read more Social Media and Platform Historiography: Challenges and Opportunities

Regramming the Platform: Infrastructural Relations between Apps and Social Media

We just published a new article (open access🔓): Carolin Gerlitz, Anne Helmond, Fernando van der Vlist, and Esther Weltevrede (alphabetical). “Regramming the Platform: Infrastructural Relations between Apps and Social Media.” Computational Culture 7 (2019). http://computationalculture.net/regramming-the-platform Abstract In this article, we empirically analyse the infrastructural relations between mobile apps and social media platforms and present a… Read more Regramming the Platform: Infrastructural Relations between Apps and Social Media

Apps and Infrastructures – a Research Agenda

We just published a new article (open access🔓): Carolin Gerlitz, Anne Helmond, David Nieborg, and Fernando van der Vlist (alphabetical). “Apps and Infrastructures – a Research Agenda.” Computational Culture 7 (2019). http://computationalculture.net/apps-and-infrastructures-a-research-agenda Abstract In this special issue editorial, we introduce a research agenda for empirical app studies. First, we introduce the three main strands of… Read more Apps and Infrastructures – a Research Agenda