The Platform Question: Power, Accountability and the Global South

This anthology is the result of a global collaboration among scholars, practitioners, and activists who come together to reflect on the expanding role of platforms in an increasingly digitized world. As platformization reshapes economies, politics, and everyday interactions, it brings with it new forms of regulation, control, and accountability that profoundly affect both marginalized communities and society at large. The collection explores these dynamics through diverse lenses, ranging from debates on platform regulation and Big Tech accountability in content moderation, to feminist critiques of algorithmic bias and safety in online dating spaces. It further examines digital resistance and collective action in contexts such as Latin America and Myanmar, where platform governance intersects with broader struggles for democracy and voice. By engaging with experiences of gig workers, platform-mediated labor, and the emerging ethical questions surrounding artificial intelligence, the anthology situates the global platform economy as a site of tension between freedom and control, innovation and exploitation. Together, these contributions reveal how digital infrastructures are not merely technological systems but deeply political spaces that shape the contours of contemporary life.