Steps toward a digital ecology: ecological principles for the study of digital ecosystems

Abstract

The notion of digital ecosystems has become a fruitful metaphor for examining the effects of digitalization across boundaries of organization, industry, lifeworld, mind, and body. In business-economic terms, the metaphor has inspired IS research into new business models, while in engineering terms, it has led to important insights into the design and governance of digital platforms. Studying digital ecosystems in these terms, however, makes it difficult to trace and explain those effects of digitalization, which do not materialize predominantly in economic and engineering patterns. Important relationships and their effects may therefore go unnoticed. In response, I draw on the ecological epistemology of Gregory Bateson and others to contribute an ecological approach to digital ecosystems. Such an understanding, I argue, expands the possibilities for tracing and explaining the wide-reaching, boundary-crossing effects of digitalization and the runaway dynamics they may lead to. I suggest to do this based on three principles: (1) part-of-ness—phenomena are to be observed as always part of a larger ecosystem; (2) systemic wisdom—ecosystems have limits, which need to be respected; and (3) information ecology—ecosystems are not mechanical but informed, cognitive systems. As my contribution, I propose six avenues for future IS research into digital ecology.

What is the Metaverse and who seeks to define it? Mapping the site of social construction

“…The Metaverse as an ecosystem What relationships and interactions among the platform complementors will emerge in the Metaverse ecosystems? -Platform, ecosystem, and value creation perspectives on VWs (Chaturvedi et al, 2011;Kohler et al, 2011;Mennecke et al, 2008;Messinger et al, 2009;Mueller et al, 2011) -Digital platform ecosystems (Alaimo et al, 2020;de Reuver et al, 2018;Hein et al, 2020;Márton, 2021;Spagnoletti et al, 2015) Which (Weick, 1999(Weick, , 2000. This sensemaking may be implicit.…”

Digital platform regulation: opportunities for information systems research

“…, 2010). A holarchy of platforms may exhibit interdependences between platforms (e.g., one platform is a module of another platform) (Márton, 2021; Tiwana et al. , 2010; Tilson et al.…”

Systematizing the lexicon of platforms in information systems: a data-driven study

“…A rhizome can break at any point and still keep growing (Deleuze & Guattari, 1979). In IS, a rhizome has been used sporadically as a metaphor for diverse concepts, including networks (Atkinson & Brooks, 2005;Gachet & Brézillon, 2005), decision processes (Humphreys, 2021;Nolas, 2008), assemblage (Leclercq-Vandelannoitte et al, 2014;Sesay et al, 2016), discourse (Iivari et al, 2017), and transformation (Márton, 2021). We use the rhizome metaphor to describe the interplay of different research approaches on digital platforms as a complex phenomenon that is subject to lexical fragmentation and lacking distinguishable hierarchies.…”