No digital platform is neutral.
The data it creates, the people it attracts, the conventions that its users adopt — all vary from one platform to the next.
As researchers, this means that we need to analyse each platform. We need to become platform experts — only then can optimise our insight collection.
We need to know a platform’s affordances.
Affordance is a term taken from design theory and refers to what a material can do. Glass affords transparency, steel affords strength and durability, and so on. Designs also have affordances — a fork affords stabbing, a door knob affords twisting.
Social forms also have affordances. A chat in the pub affords casual chat and social bonding. A seminar at a university affords peer discussion and group collaboration.
We can even dissect the most intimate aspects of our lives through the lens of affordances. Marriage affords both economic and emotional security. Polyamory affords emotional diversity and personal growth.
So, it makes sense to think of digital platforms as having affordances as well:
- Slack affords a blend of professional and casual communication, making it perfect for building team rapport
- WhatsApp affords instant conversation and group chats, making it great for capturing in-the-moment reflections
- Trello affords rapid, collaborative and colourful codification of insight
- LinkedIn affords professionalism, making it a perfect platform for finding experts and conducting business related interviews
Here are a few reflections on forms that are a useful part of this mindset:
- Affordances aren’t rules — I might hold a business interview through Facebook
- Forms can collide and overlap, often producing unexpected consequences
- Rhythms, or temporal patterns, such as the working day, can be thought about as form
- Not everything is form — we should look for ambiguity, gaps and colour that is formless
- Forms provide a way to connect politics, culture, business, society and aesthetics together in new ways
