Module description
This module provides a systematic and critical reflection on the global spread of platform companies. With these companies becoming central to the lives of billions, an understanding of how they are shaping the international order in their favour is essential. This module will aims to give students the skills and knowledge necessary to analyse and interrogate these ongoing transformations.
We will discuss how modern platforms follow in a long line of colonial ventures that aim to build global hierarchies. Yet we will also question whether they differ from these traditional modes of domination, and if so, how? In terms of their interests, is there a significant difference between the East India Company and Google? Does data as a resource differ in any notable ways from oil as a resource? And how does the rent extraction of a company like Amazon Web Services differ from earlier tithe-based systems?
The critical perspective taken in this module will enable us to get beyond the more optimistic takes of global expansion put forth by the platforms themselves and their institutional representatives. Fundamental questions about the costs and benefits of these companies will be tackled as result. Students will be given the conceptual and empirical tools for understanding the ongoing transformation of our digital planet.
Assessment details
- One x 1000-word individual essay (30%)
- One x 2500-word individual essay (70%)
Educational aims & objectives
This module will explore the global impacts of the major platform companies, seeking to analyse and understand the ways in which they are building new international hierarchies. It will aim to cover all the contemporary debates on this issue, as well as relating them to ongoing developments in the world.
The first third of the module will set the stage by outlining key theoretical approaches to the study of contemporary colonialism – from Marxist, liberal, and decolonial perspectives. It will establish the basic framework for situating recent developments, as well as setting out the long historical arc of these problems.
The remainder of the module will be focused on key mechanisms through which power is being exerted – such as data trade policies and tax evasion schemes. It will also interrogate key debates around the importance of ideas such as digital sovereignty and data ownership. Lastly, the module will look at responses from developing countries, and outline ways in which digital colonialism is being resisted.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the module, students will be expected to:
- Show a critical understanding of how platforms are expanding internationally and understand what their global impact is.
- Analyse different forms of power within the international system.
- Identify and deploy key concepts such as colonialism, data trade, digital sovereignty, and media imperialism.
Teaching pattern
Ten one-hour lectures and ten one-hour seminars