Session Chair:
Presentation 1
IT’S ELON’S GAME; WE’RE ALL JUST PLAYING IT: WHY INTERNET STUDIES NEEDS GAMES
Adrienne Massanari
American University, United States of America
Elon Musk is a lifelong gamer. Musk has said that games influence his approach to business, teaching him, among other things, that empathy is a negative quality in a leader. His belief that we are most likely living in a simulation presents the troubling possibility that he is using his expertise as a gamer to undo democratic institutions through technology because he actually thinks it’s just a game. In other words, Elon Musk as a figure, and Silicon Valley more broadly, cannot be understood fully without grappling with games.
Big-budget, high-profile games (triple-A titles like _Call of Duty_) have traditionally relied on a limited set of narratives and mechanics with many games mirroring the ideological underpinnings at the core of Silicon Valley culture and its emphasis on meritocratic explanations for success and failure. Through a critical discourse analysis of media coverage about Musk’s experiences with and discussions of video games, I focus on how he applies what I’m terming “gamer logic” to a different domain: governance on Twitter/X. I outline how Musk’s gamer logic has shaped Twitter/X since he acquired the platform, and how he thinks about what technology can do for (and to) us. My analysis underscores the necessity for internet studies to engage more deeply with gaming culture so we can better understand (and counter) the vision that Silicon Valley has for our collective future.
Presentation 2
EPISTEMIC-DEMOCRATIC TENSION IN THE BOTTOM-UP GOVERNANCE OF ALGORITHMS
KELLEY COTTER
Pennsylvania State University
The governance of platform algorithms presents a critical challenge as these technologies increasingly pose threats to privacy, agency, fairness, and equity, often reenacting and mediating existing power systems. Traditional governance models, primarily top-down approaches led by policymakers and private corporations, are essential yet insufficient. This paper argues for the incorporation of "bottom-up governance," focusing on the "epistemic-democratic tension" (Krick, 2022) between inclusive participation and expertise-based decision-making. I argue that to ensure that algorithms function fairly and justly for all, bottom-up governance requires involving and taking seriously “lay” experts. Bottom-up governance extends beyond merely soliciting input from citizens on algorithms; it necessitates recognizing the authority of non-technical knowers and privileging subjugated standpoints.
Presentation 3
Creator Cartels as Emergent Platform Governance
CJ Reynolds, Blake Hallinan
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Creators frequently collaborate to share knowledge of and strategies for countering negative experiences of platform governance, including around issues of harassment, copyright enforcement, and censorship. In some cases, they have tried to craft more formal arrangements like creator unions, but these have failed to find stability in the platform economy, which operates differently than traditional labor-employer relationships. We point to a different form of collaboration that casts creators as economic rivals that often have directly competing interests rather than as workers with shared interests. To this end, we propose the concept of creator cartels, understood as contingent alliances between creators leveraged to produce beneficial policy and economic conditions. Taking up a critical media industry studies framework, we analyze the struggle between competing creator cartels invested in Twitch’s policies regarding gambling streams, especially the events that played out in September 2022 as anti-gambling streamers threatened a boycott, pro-gambling streamers leaked damaging information about their rivals, and Twitch ultimately decided to curb the forms of gambling creating conflict between many of its highest profile creators. The gambling saga shows that creators ally and collude with each other to produce mutually desirable outcomes, leveraging audiences and advertisers to influence the platform economy. We contend that creator cartels represent a novel organizational practice that both responds to and harnesses platform power, representing a promising area of inquiry for researchers interested in community governance and the conditions of platform labor.
Presentation 4
BEYOND MAINSTREAM INDUSTRY: UNVAILING SOCIAL JUSTICE APPROACHES FOR PLATFORM GOVERNANCE
Paloma Viejo Otero
University of Bremen, Germany
Following Miller and Rose, the study of platform governance includes analyzing the many techniques platforms use and the knowledge that underpins these techniques.
Platform Governance research concludes that mainstream social media's moderation techniques are driven by liberal principles of freedom and safety. This focus has neglected or overlooked platforms that operate on different values, potentially offering governance models based on social justice.
Platform Governance from a Social Justice Perspective aims to address inequalities embedded in societal structures, going beyond content moderation to reshape power relations and support the emancipation of oppressed communities. This approach is rare in the industry, with few platforms embodying a social justice perspective effectively.
However, Casa Liken, a Spanish-based platform, stands out as an example, designed to offer a safe space for individuals often marginalized by mainstream platforms, showcasing how governance can be approached from a social justice perspective. Casa Liken, operating under a social justice approach, prompts further investigation into its governance techniques and the knowledge underpinning these methods to determine if it truly represents a departure from mainstream platform governance.
Through interviews with its creator, Erika Irusta, this study uncovers the platform's innovative governance techniques, such as "Oxytocin Design" and "Accompanied Moderation," which are informed by social justice knowledge’s tradition.
These findings suggest Casa Liken not only offers refuge from hostile digital spaces but also introduces governance techniques that challenge traditional enabling conditions for discriminatory content, thus contributing to the discourse on platform governance and the potential of technology to support traditionally discriminated communities.
