Origin Dictionary / OD-061
Platform Economy
You built a business there. The platform still sets the terms.
01Dictionary Meaning
The platform economy consists of economic activity organized through digital services that connect participants such as buyers, sellers, workers, advertisers and audiences.
02What People Think
"The platform is just where I find customers."
03What’s Underneath
A marketplace can make customers easier to reach, handle payments and create trust between strangers. Those are valuable services.
It can also set fees, rank listings and decide who may participate. A seller's success may therefore depend on rules the seller does not control.
As customers, reviews and transaction history accumulate in one place, moving can become costly. The platform's role grows from providing access to shaping the conditions under which an entire business earns.
04The Game
Which value comes from the platform's service, and which negotiating power comes from how difficult it has become to leave?
05One Line
Access to a market can become dependence on its owner.
Explore M4 Library
M4Youth Decentralized Business
Examine how marketplaces shape the businesses inside them.