'Platformisation'

Edition 57

From newspapers to educational systems, from supermarkets to financial aid, from political engagement to love and friendship: public and private life in the modern day is influenced and transformed by the rise of globally used internet platforms, usually owned and run by for-profit corporations. Reflecting on our own role as an online magazine, this edition of Inter Magazine explores some of the most intriguing questions surrounding the phenomenon of platformisation:

How does our perception of news change when we only read them online instead of having the paper delivered to our doorstep? What is the concept of platform capitalism and how does it interact with digital social spaces, such as educational online platforms? How is political discourse enabled and limited on social media platforms? And, since nothing is everlasting, why do platforms die?

How Social Media Affected the News

Written by Roeland Dubèl Illustration by Marlon Schotel Back in the day, the news got delivered right to your doorstep, in the form of a paper copy, imprinted with black ink. If you did not have a subscription you would have to walk to the closest newsstand – a compact booth filled with the latest…

The shadow side of education

Written by Pieter Vergouw Illustration by Rena Hänel Private tutoring is an activity that has ancient roots. Patrician Roman families would hire a tutor to educate their children in the skills of poetry, geography, and public speaking. Upper-class families in Victorian Britain would often have a governess to teach their offspring. People from these bygone…

Digital public spheres in times of platform capitalism

By Rena Hänel My own generation* has long stopped using Facebook and has instead migrated to Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter (which, alas, is also dying). Yet, most of us all too well know the heated discussions that one uncle would get into in the comment sections of local news outlets and under the posts of…

Why do platforms die? The reasoning behind perishing platforms

Written by Helge Moes Illustration by Merel Hamminga Before Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok came to life, there were popular media such as Google+, Friendster, Musical.ly, Myspace, Vine, and Hyves. These are just some of the social media platforms you may have used or heard of. I fondly remember going on Vine to watch the new…

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