How Digital Platforms Impact Social Justice: An Affordances Perspective

Abstract

This thesis aims to explore how ethnic minorities utilise digital platforms to feel included in society. A systematic literature review (SLR) of social justice in information systems (IS) and adjacent literature was conducted. The SLR reveals that the current body of research primarily examines the impact of digital platforms from a socioeconomic justice perspective, overlooking cultural injustice. Especially, how ethnic minorities combat cultural injustice with digital platforms is under-examined. The SLR further reveals that the extant literature predominantly focuses on Western platforms and on how users obtain information and participate in online communities. However, the role of non-Western digital platforms in building social inclusion is under-examined. To address these gaps, this research conducted an empirical analysis of a platform R, drawing on affordance theory. The platform was selected for its analytical value to examine the research question. This research found three key affordances enabled by R: redistributing informational resources, developing bonding ties (i.e., relationship formation within homogeneous groups), and recognising attributional ambiguity (i.e., collective sense-making of negative experiences). A critical mechanism, termed 'platform inertia', is proposed to explain the continued use of a familiar platform in a dynamic context. This research makes three contributions. First, this research extends the concept of attributional ambiguity to the IS context by identifying digital platforms as a discursive space for collective sense-making of negative experiences. Second, it challenges the IT continuance literature's assumption of contextual stability by examining platform post-adoption use through the dynamic context of major life transitions. Third, it contributes to social inclusion literature by providing empirical evidence of "cyberbalkanisation", in which bonding ties are strengthened at the expense of bridging ties. This study also highlights the importance of organisations supporting ethnic minorities in navigating challenges. Show more