platformsdocumentaries

platformsdocumentaries is a term used to describe a body of documentary works that examine digital platforms—including social networks, streaming services, search engines, and app ecosystems—and their social, political, and economic effects. The term is not a formal academic category, but it functions as a descriptive label for projects that foreground platform-mediated life, algorithmic recommendation, data practices, and governance.

Scope and themes include misinformation, content moderation, labor in the platform economy, advertising and data extraction, surveillance, privacy, and regulatory debates across jurisdictions.

Origins and development: The rise of large tech platforms in the 2010s spurred filmmakers to investigate power, transparency, and accountability. While not universally adopted as a distinct label, platformsdocumentaries has been used in critical writing to group films and series that address platform infrastructure and its effects on publics.

Approaches and methods: investigative journalism, case studies of platform ecosystems, interviews with engineers, policymakers, journalists, and platform workers, and often data-driven storytelling.

Notable examples: While not always labeled as platformsdocumentaries, documentaries such as The Social Dilemma (2020) and The Great Hack (2019) are frequently cited for exploring platform mechanics and governance; Terms and Conditions May Apply (2013) traces user data practices. Other projects examine streaming platforms and algorithmic curation in different contexts.

Reception and critique: The term is criticized for being broad or speculative about a cohesive genre; supporters argue it helps scholars and practitioners categorize work on platform power and policy implications.

See also: Digital rights, Platform capitalism, Algorithmic transparency, Tech ethics.