logic of neutrality?? social media platforms are intermediaries, but they are no
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logic of neutrality??
social media platforms are intermediaries, but they are not traditional intermediaries
“…as a part of their service, these platforms host that content, they organize that content, they make it searchable, and in some cases they even algorithmically select some subset of it (some content over others) to deliver as front-page offerings, news feeds, subscribed channels, or personalized recommendations. In a way, those choices are the commodity, meant to draw users in and keep them on the platform, paid for with attention to advertising and in exchange for ever more personal data. Users entrust to them their interpersonal “tele” communication, but those contributions then serve as the raw material for the platforms to produce an emotionally engaging flow, more like a ‘broadcast’.” (Gillespie, 2018)
Essential readings:
Tarleton Gillespie (2018) Regulation by and of platforms, SAGE Handbook of Social Media, London: SAGE Publications.
Tarleton Gillespie (2018) ‘The myth of the neutral platform’, Custodians of the Internet: Platforms, Content Moderation, and the Hidden Decisions That Shape Social Media, New Haven: Yale University Press.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (2019) ‘Digital platforms and media – regulatory frameworks’, Chapter 4, Digital Platforms Inquiry, Final Report, Canberra: ACCC, pp. 166-205.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/11/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-is-a-technology-company-not-media-company.html