The Tech Policy Press Podcast Seeing Like a Platform
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Aug 31, 2025 Petter Törnberg, an assistant professor in computational social science at the University of Amsterdam and co-author of 'Seeing Like a Platform,' dives into the intricate ties between technology, politics, and social structures. He discusses how mathematical simulations can illuminate complex social systems and critiques outdated mechanistic views of society. Törnberg highlights the dual impact of digital technology, emphasizing its role in both empowerment and inequality, while examining the interaction of AI with democracy and the urgent need for structured frameworks.
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From Computer Nerd To Complex Systems Scholar
- Petter Törnberg describes growing up a computer nerd and later studying complex systems in his PhD, shaping his interdisciplinary approach.
- Family conversations with a sociologist brother pushed him to compare computational and social-science ways of understanding society.
Complexity Replaces The Machine Metaphor
- James Scott's critique of top-down planning contrasts complicated and complex systems and shows why machine metaphors fail for society.
- The digital era shifts metaphors toward complexity and self-organization, which brings its own blind spots and new problems.
Platforms Convert Mediation Into Monopoly Power
- Platforms mediate interactions and accumulate data, enabling predictive and behavioral control that users rarely perceive.
- Financial capital recognized these control rents and centralized power in platform monopolies.
