The Platformisation of Consumer Culture

This book offers a unique methodological guide for social and marketing scholars interested in understanding and using digital methods to explore the processes of platformisation of consumer culture unfolding on digital media. The book introduces the reader to key digital methods concepts, strategies, and techniques through a set of ad hoc case studies focused on the most prominent digital platforms (such as Facebook, Spotify, or TripAdvisor) as well as emerging trends in digital consumer culture (such as, the consumption of nostalgia, the radicalisation of taste, or ephemeral consumption).

Alessandro Caliandro (PhD, University of Milano) is an Associate Professor in Sociology of Culture and Communication at the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the University of Pavia. His current research focuses on digital methods, digital consumer culture, platformisation of culture, surveillance capitalism, ageing and digital media. He is Scientific Coordinator of V-DATA (https://vdataresearch.com/), which focuses on the critical study of surveillance capitalism in Italy. Alessandro Gandini (PhD, University of Milano) is an Associate Professor in Sociology of Culture and Communication at the Department of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Milan. His research focuses on the relationship between technology and society from a cultural perspective, looking at platformisation processes, digital labour, digital cultures and methods. He is the Principal Investigator of the CRAFTWORK project (2021-2025), funded by ERC Starting Grants, and the Scientific Coordinator of Algocount (www.algocount.org), which focuses on the critical study of algorithms. Lucia Bainotti (PhD, University of Milano) is Assistant Professor in Digital and Visual Media Analysis and postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Media Studies at the University of Amsterdam. As a postdoctoral researcher, she is working on the Horizon 2020 project SoBigData++, focusing on developing techniques for visual media analysis. Her main research interests revolve around digital consumer cultures, issues of social status and distinction in the influencer economy; and gender-based violence online. Guido Anselmi (PhD, University of Milano-Bicocca) is a Senior lecturer in Sociology of Culture and Communication at the Department of Humanities at the University of Catania. His work focuses on digital and computational methods, platform capitalism and on the impact of digital platforms on cities.

Acknowledgments, I. Introduction, II. Methodological Framework, Chapter 1: Consuming Nostalgia on Facebook, Chapter 2: YouTube and the Radicalisation (?) of Consumption, Chapter 3: The Platformisation of Music Genres on Spotify, Chapter 4: Exploring the Role of Fake News and Bots in Brand Communication on Twitter and Their Impact on Brand Value and Consumer Culture, Chapter 5: Instagram Influencers at the Crossroad between Publics and Communities, Chapter 6: Assessing the Impact of Kitchen Nightmares through TripAdvisor, Chapter 7: Thinking of the Same Place: the Trivialisation of the Sharing Economy on Airbnb, Chapter 8: Ephemeral Content and Ephemeral Consumption on TikTok, Conclusion, Bibliography, List of Figures, List of Tables, Index.