Seeing (like) a platform: Using data rights for participatory study of platforms

Abstract

This article proposes a framework for qualitatively investigating platforms by studying them in action, through their embeddedness and the everyday interactions with users. Grounded on two foundations– the research affordances of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the approach of researching with care, two distinct visions emerge: the ability to see platforms (the dynamic and constantly evolving ecosystem of complementors, practices, and arrangements) and the ability to see like a platform (the classifications generated through inferential analytics and affinity profiling). These visions, understood as ways of seeing and knowing, emerge from the repurposing of the GDPR’s Right of Access (Article 15), no longer as a legal right but as a research tool. As part of a larger empirical study, 47 participants underwent a four-month autoethnographic process of acquiring, inspecting and analysing their personal data, while keeping a diary to record their emotions, observations and responses. The research framework consists of (a) using data rights as a research tool, (b) researching with care and (c) employing diaries as a data collection and reflexivity tool. Besides introducing a new approach for studying platforms, this framework also facilitates critical and interpretative co-research, enabling the creation of critical knowledge and the acquisition of empowering skills for participants. Although total vision is impossible and every perspective has its limitations and blind spots, even partial visions allow for a state of platform observability and the production of valid and valuable knowledge.