Understanding “smaller-scale” platforms: An ethnographic case study of Chinese-owned multinational infotech enterprises

Abstract

This article develops the concept of “smaller-scale platforms,” distinguishing them from both large-scale, infrastructural platforms (such as Silicon Valley giants and Chinese infotech monopolies), and small, single-use platforms. To do so, it presents an ethnographic case study of the Chinese-owned, multinational entertainment live-streaming platform, Bigo Live. The article argues that smaller-scale platforms, positioned at the fringe of the internet business ecosystem, are non-infrastructural yet still serve as integral components of the larger, global platform economy and international trade. The ethnography presented shows how smaller-scale platforms target niche and occasionally unconventional markets, offering specialized services within agile, cross-platform, and transnational business sectors. The ethnography also depicts the naturalization of the Chinese “internet thinking” business model, as well as unusual and even extreme events among Chinese expatriate platform personnel, local non-Chinese employees, guilds of live-streamers, the live-streaming audience, and other stakeholders operating within complex geopolitical contexts. Finally, the paper delineates prospective research trajectories stemming from the theorization of smaller-scale platforms, articulating potential inquiries that could enhance scholarly understanding within this field.