Overview
This course examines the economic, cultural, and technological forces shaping consumption in platform-based markets. Students analyze consumer identity, communities, rituals, taste, status, participation, prosumption, fandom, and the circulation of cultural meaning across digital environments.
The course develops a systematic understanding of platform business models, network effects, multi-sided markets, digital intermediation, recommendation systems, attention economics, creator economies, marketplaces, subscriptions, advertising, and freemium pricing. Students also investigate data extraction, personalization, algorithmic visibility, platform governance, moderation, trust, ratings, reviews, lock-in, winner-take-most dynamics, disintermediation, and regulatory responses.
Through comparative case studies of social media, streaming services, online retail, app stores, resale platforms, creator services, and cultural marketplaces, students learn to map platform ecosystems and value flows, interpret consumer and engagement data, assess business model sustainability, and evaluate ethical and competitive consequences. Applied work includes ecosystem mapping, consumer culture ethnography, business model critique, policy analysis, and strategic recommendations for responsible growth or market entry.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyze consumer identities, communities, rituals, tastes, status systems, and cultural meanings in platform-mediated markets.
- Evaluate platform business models, revenue mechanisms, network effects, and multi-sided market structures.
- Map platform ecosystems, participant roles, interdependencies, and flows of economic and cultural value.
- Interpret consumer, engagement, recommendation, ratings, and review data to assess platform performance.
- Critique the effects of personalization, data extraction, algorithmic visibility, moderation, and platform governance.
- Assess the sustainability, ethical implications, and competitive consequences of lock-in and winner-take-most dynamics.
- Synthesize evidence from case studies and consumer research to formulate responsible platform growth or market-entry strategies.
Timetable
| Type | Length | Frequency | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Tutorial | 1 hour | Weekly | All semester |
| Workshop | 2 hours | Fortnightly | All semester |
| Seminar | 1 hour | Fortnightly | All semester |
Assessment Schedule
| Type | Description | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Consumer culture ethnography | 20.00% |
| Assignment | Platform ecosystem map | 20.00% |
| Assignment | Business model critique | 15.00% |
| Deliverable | Policy and ethics brief | 15.00% |
| Test | Mid-semester test | 10.00% |
| Exam | Final strategic analysis | 20.00% |
Prerequisites
Teaching Staff & Programs
This course is delivered jointly by faculty from the participating programs listed below. In line with the Douchewater Way, the University of Sexology tailors core instruction directly to each cohort's specific discipline — adapting curriculum to program needs rather than forcing students into a one-size-fits-all model. Learn more about our approach at The Douchewater Way.
