Beyond the platform: Music streaming as a site of logistical and symbolic struggle

André Jansson

doi:10.1177/14614448211036356

Abstract

Research on music streaming has so far tended to normalize a view of streaming as an individual activity solely oriented towards the platform. However, as streaming media have become integral to everyday life and a key metaphor for digital society, we should pay attention to how streaming activities are embedded into social power relations. Furthermore, due to the complexity of streaming infrastructures, we should consider the social implications of ordinary expertise pertaining to the handling of digital streams. To this end, this article advances a theoretical view of music streaming as a form of logistical labour and a part of dwelling. Based on a focus-group study on music streaming, the analysis moves beyond the platform to explore social dominance in a cultural landscape where logistical expertise is increasingly important. The analysis shows how the handling of everyday infrastructures underpins complicit forms of logistical dominance and translates into symbolic violence.

Highlights

Research on music streaming has so far tended to normalize a view of streaming as an individual activity solely oriented towards the platform
To fully grasp the nature of symbolic power in a digitalized culture, we need to consider not just traditional divisions of cultural taste and ordinary forms of expertise pertaining to the handling of digital streams
As streaming media have become a normalized part of everyday life and integrated into the environment, we should pay closer attention to how power relations unfold not just between users and platform industries, and among people as part of their everyday dwelling

Summary

Introduction

Research on music streaming has so far tended to normalize a view of streaming as an individual activity solely oriented towards the platform. Audio-streaming services like Spotify and various ‘Play’ services linked to traditional broadcasting corporations have set a new norm for music consumption – a norm, as well as a discourse, that bespeaks immediate, unlimited and seamless access to culture (cf McQuire, 2017; Fast, 2018). In light of such discourses, the following episode taken from a focus-group interview with women in a Swedish countryside village is funny and quite disturbing: Most things [with digital technology] are difficult. When I had made all the choices among all the choices, I went to Netflix and ‘oops, which film should I chose?’, and it took me an hour and I gave up and went straight to bed. (F5)

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Conclusion