Patenting sociality

Uncovering the operational logics of Facebook through critical patent analysis

Datos Bibliográficos

ID11268258
AutoresLungani Hlongwa (0000-0002-9834-8026, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, autor de correspondencia), Fernan Talamayan (0000-0002-1716-7881, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University)
Año2023
Volumen45
Número6
Páginas1135-1155
Fecha de publicación2023-09-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaMedia Culture & Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0163-4437 • E-ISSN: 1460-3675
EditorialSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/01634437231154759
OpenAlexW4321785393
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas28

While the growing influence of digital platforms on social life is now widely recognized, scholars continue to grapple with the operation of digital platforms and their mediation of social life. This article examines some of Facebook’s operational logics to shed light on the company’s social imaginary. Our argument is that Facebook imagines a sociality that can be broken down to machine-readable signals which can also be patented for capital accumulation. This argument is based on a critical analysis of Facebook patents that revealed key operational logics underpinning the platform, namely: data extraction, user surveillance, profiling, ranking, and preemption. Through critical patent analysis, we unveil not only the platform’s configuration but also its creators’ orchestration of human actions and interactions. At a time when companies are more inclined to protect their innovations through patents, perhaps now more than ever, is an opportune moment to examine what their inventions make possible

Argument (complex analysis · Business · Data science · Internet privacy · Law and economics · Mediation · Orchestration · Social science · Sociality · Sociology · The Imaginary · Underpinning · Computer Science · Engineering · Ethics and Social Impacts of AI · Innovation and Socioeconomic Development · Open Source Software Innovations · Psychology