[WebCultures] Introduction

[Anne Helmond]

Hi everyone,

I’m Anne Helmond, a nearly-finished PhD candidate at the University of Amsterdam. In my dissertation I provide a historical account of the platformization of the web, or the rise of the platform as the dominant infrastructural and economical model of the social web. The aim is to understand changes in the composition of the web by looking at the circulation of content and data flows between various actors from a medium-specific perspective. I trace the rise of the platform model and its consequences by focusing on the web’s underlying infrastructure and natively digital objects such as the hyperlink and social buttons. Specific attention is paid to the mediating role of software in relation to the rise of social media platforms. In my dissertation I introduce a number of tools and techniques to capture the consequences of the platformization of the web. 

The Internet Archive has been invaluable for my research for finding old sources as well as serving as an object of study. I am particularly interested in developing new ways to use the Internet Archive to analyze past states of the web (in contrast to past states of websites). 

Thanks to Michael for organizing this list and I am looking forward to learning more about all of your interests in the various aspects of web history.

Met vriendelijke groet,
Anne Helmond

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Anne Helmond | Phd Candidate and Lecturer | New Media and Digital Culture
University of Amsterdam | Turfdraagsterpad 9 | 1012 XT  Amsterdam | The Netherlands
http://home.medewerker.uva.nl/a.p.helmond/ | http://www.annehelmond.nl/ | @silvertje

Latest publications: 
Weltevrede, Esther, Anne Helmond, and Carolin Gerlitz. “The Politics of Real-Time: A Device Perspective on Social Media Platforms and Search Engines.” Theory, Culture & Society, June 20 (2014). http://tcs.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/06/20/0263276414537318
Helmond, Anne. “The Algorithmization of the Hyperlink.” Computational Culture 3 (2013): http://computationalculture.net/article/the-algorithmization-of-the-hyperlink