Amazon and the self

Abstract

In his classic book on the information society Castells described the relationship between "the self and the net". The rise of Internet giants such as Google, Apple and Amazon, have been spectacular successes on an unprecedented scale. However, the relationship we have with these companies is characterized by ambiguity; on the one hand it is part of the daily life, such as searching for information or buying a book, through personalized and easy-to-use services. On the other hand, the dominant position of these actors raises concerns on privacy, and monopoly power. In this paper we try to make sense of these asymmetrical relationships, and propose a way forward to achieve a more balanced relationship. Our empirical framing is an investigation of the evolution of Amazon, through the years 1995-2013. We analyze the company at two levels, focusing at first on the individual interaction and then at the level of infrastructure. For the customers the infrastructure is not visible, although the aggregates of personal and behavioral information are the basis for the rich set of "individualized" interactions between customers and company. The basic asymmetry of the relationship cannot be solved at an individual level. We therefore call for a new kind of institution, and discuss some alternative strategies..