José van Dijck (1960) has been Professor of Media and Digital Society at Utrecht University since 2017. Her research focuses on media, social media and media technologies. From 2015 to 2018 she was the first female president of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).
Research into public values of the online world
Our social traffic often runs via online platforms. Best known are Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft. In addition to the jubilant stories and opportunities; the role that platforms play in the representation of public interests remains underexposed. Their interfaces, reputation systems, and algorithms that link supply and demand steer the design of society. With major consequences for public interests, such as the accessibility, safety and affordability of (public) transport, pluralism in journalism or the organization of education.
The Platform Society
Together with Thomas Poell and Martijn de Waal, Van Dijck wrote the book The Platform Society. Public Values in a Connective World (Oxford University Press, 2018) This book explores the workings of platforms in three social domains. The starting point is the question: how can public values be safeguarded in the platform society? The book is translated into Italian and a Chinese translation is expected in 2021.