Denaturalizing digital platforms: is mass individualization here to stay?

This article examines the consistency of mass individualization or personalization techniques used by digital platforms with the imaginaries and logics of neoclassical economic theory and behavioral economics. We identify limitations of contemporary policy and regulatory responses to harms associated with datafication practices. We argue that more attention needs to be given to denaturalizing claims that enhancements of mass individualization techniques are a “natural” outcome of digital technology innovation and market dynamics. To avoid harms associated with datafication and to secure public values, it is essential to imagine a future digital world that is not dependent on massive collection of individuals’ data for commercial or public ends. This might require the blocking of some applications before, rather than after, they have been deployed. Doing so will require broad agreement that mass individualization techniques are inconsistent with valuing human autonomy and effective individual choice in Western societies. Skepticism about policy intervention in the platform market is answered by examining how surprising opportunities for change may arise from contestations of current applications of these technologies

Deep Transitions: A mixed methods study of the historical evolution of mass production

Industrial societies contain a range of socio-technical systems fulfilling functions such as the provision of energy, food, mobility, housing, healthcare, finance and communications. The recent Deep Transitions (DT) framework outlines a series of propositions on how the multi-system co-evolution over 250 years of these systems has contributed to several current social and ecological crises. Drawing on evolutionary institutionalism, the DT framework places a special emphasis on the concepts of ‘rules’ and ‘meta-rules’ as coordination mechanisms within and across socio-technical systems. In this paper, we employ a mixed-method approach to provide an empirical assessment of the propositions of the DT framework. We focus on the historical evolution of mass production from the 18th century to the present. Combining a qualitative narrative based on a synthesis of secondary historical literature with a quantitative text mining-based analysis of the corpus of Scientific American (1845–2019), we map the emergence and alignment of rules underpinning mass production. Our study concludes by reflecting on important methodological lessons for the application of text mining techniques to examine large-scale and long-term socio-technical dynamics

Opportunities for knowledge-based development: capabilities, infrastructure, investment and policy

Developing countries must find innovative ways of combining their existing experience and skills with the production and consumption of information and communication technology-related products and services in order to benefit from the potential advantages for social and economic development. The new applications can be employed as 'tools' for development, but their effective use requires substantial investment in both the technical and the social infrastructure. The potential of information and communication technologies to create opportunities for catching up or forging ahead exists but applications must be consistent with the distinctive information and knowledge systems within each developing country and their development priorities