Thomas Poell Books
Thomas Poell is a professor of data, culture, and institutions at the University of Amsterdam.
Known for: The Platform Society: Public Values in a Connective World
Books by Thomas Poell
The Platform Society: Public Values in a Connective World
The Platform Society explores how digital platforms such as Google, Facebook, and Uber have become the new infrastructures of public life. The authors analyze how these platforms shape communication, knowledge, and civic engagement, and how they challenge traditional institutions in media, education, and urban life. They argue for the need to safeguard public values like equality, privacy, and democracy in a world increasingly governed by private digital intermediaries.
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From Networked Communication to Platform Ecosystems
The digital age began with the utopian vision of an open network. Early internet culture celebrated decentralization, collaboration, and the empowerment of users. Discussion forums, blogs, and independent websites formed a diverse ecology of voices. However, as connectivity expanded, companies disco...
From The Platform Society: Public Values in a Connective World
Understanding Platform Logic: Datafication, Commodification, and Selection
To grasp how platforms govern society, we identify three fundamental processes: datafication, commodification, and selection. Datafication means transforming every aspect of human behavior into quantifiable data points. Every like, search, click, or ride becomes a trace that platforms capture and or...
From The Platform Society: Public Values in a Connective World
About Thomas Poell
Thomas Poell is a professor of data, culture, and institutions at the University of Amsterdam.
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Thomas Poell is a professor of data, culture, and institutions at the University of Amsterdam.
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