Design choices: Mechanism design and platform capitalism

Mechanism design is a form of optimization developed in economic theory. It casts economists as institutional engineers, choosing an outcome and then arranging set market rules conditions to achieve it. The toolkit from mechanism widely used economics, policymaking, now building managing online environments. has become one the most pervasive yet inconspicuous influences on digital mediation social life. Its optimizing schemes structure advertising markets other multi-sided platform businesses. Whatever normative rationales might draw its origins, influence grown applications have more computational, we suggest those justifications for using orchestrate optimize human interaction are losing traction. In this article, ask what ideological work doing computer science, governance platforms. Observing action algorithmic environments, argue it tool producing information domination, distributing costs ways that benefit designers, controlling coordinating participants