At the mercy of the objects, we study: Epistemic consequences of proprietary digital research infrastructures

Abstract

This article asks how our capacities to conduct critical research on digital power are influenced by depending, empirically and methodologically, on powerful market actors controlling the underlying research infrastructure. Building on discussions at the intersection between digital methods, political economy and infrastructure studies, we zoom in on three cases of widely used commercial data tools and repositories for academic studies. Mapping out their methods and applications, we ask of each case: Who owns and offers it? What is (not) measured? And, how is it mobilized in existing research? We thereby explore how they each contribute to the construction of knowledge by setting the standards for measuring, monitoring and ultimately regulating digital power. We conclude that the constructions of digital research infrastructures should be placed at the centre of our investigations – as objects of analysis and as research findings in and by themselves.