The Power of Platforms as Infrastructure. Technique, Aesthetics, Hegemony

Abstract

The literature highlighting the infrastructural nature of digital platforms is now widespread. Having briefly explored but fundamentally embraced this dimension, the aim of this article is to investigate the political implications of such categorization. Specifically, the focus will be on analysing the technical, aesthetic, and hegemonic aspects of platform power, its manifestations in terms of governmentality, and the challenges it poses to the state actor.