The platformization of consumption: algorithms and desymbolization
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22325/fes/res.2023.172Keywords:
Consumption platform, online consumption, symbolism, algorithm, dataficationAbstract
This paper develops a sociological reflection on the process of platformization of consumption. More specifically, it aims to delve into the framing that consumer platforms promote about consumers. The hypothesis that is developed theoretically explores an issue that has been little addressed in the literature until now: the role of the algorithmic regulation of platforms in the process of desymbolizing consumption. The work critically reviews the main operating logics of the platforms and the recursive algorithms they use in order to detect those processes through which digital technology tends to displace the symbolic dimension of consumption. The implications of this work raise new questions about the changes implied by the involvement of algorithms in consumption, as well as the need for empirical research that sheds light on the possible resymbolizations made by consumers in their offline practices.
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