Technology

In his analysis, Dijck classifies platforms as social mediators, that use software and hardware to shape social acts. He outlines five concepts that help transform social actions into computer language: (meta)data, algorithm, protocol, interface, and default. In the sections below, these concepts are individually applied to Venmo to further understand how it shapes sociality.

Algorithm

According to Djick, algorithms are “a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function, a step-by-step directive for processing or automatic reasoning that orders the machine to produce a certain output from given input” (30). 

Venmo’s landing page on their mobile app, shows users the most recent transactions made by their friends by default. Users can then filter to see transactions involving only them, or switch to the global feed, which shows the transaction of all Venmo users. Similarly, when users are making a payment or request, Venmo automatically displays the “Top People,” people that a user has most recently interacted with on the platform.

Protocol

Protocols are the “formal descriptions of digital message formats complemented by rules for regulating those messages in or between computing systems (31). “Protocols are a technical set of rules that gain their usability from how they are programmed and how they are governed or managed by their owners” (31). “Governing protocols provide a set of instructions that users are forced to obey if they want to partake in the mediated flow of interaction” (31). 

In order to use Venmo, users must first create a profile. Users are required to input a first and last name, a username and an email. Users are also required to put in their phone number, as they “must have an SMS-enabled phone to use Venmo.” Users are not required to add their bank or card information, but Venmo does have an indirect form of governance that strongly encourages them to do so. Venmo notifies users that have not input bank or card information that their profile is incomplete. Venmo also encourages users to add their bank and card information by making it seem like a necessity to complete transactions. Like PayPal, Venmo is capable of maintaining an account balance, called “Venmo Balance,” that can be used to fulfill payment requests. Venmo has a disclaimer on their app explaining that Venmo balance is only applied when the balance is able to cover the entire requested amount. Since most users have a $0 balance when they create their account, they find that they have to add their bank or card information anyway, even if they weren’t planning to.

Interface

Interfaces are an extension of protocols. Interfaces, as their name suggests, are the “face” of a platform. Interfaces can be both visible and invisible to users. Invisible interfaces, according to Dijck, “link software to hardware and human users to data sources” (31). Venmo’s internal, or invisible interface is its connection to users’ Facebook profiles and banking institutions.

Venmo’s visible interface is simple. The landing page on Venmo’s app has four buttons that users can interact with. Its web platform displays more features on one screen, while maintaining the same layout as the mobile app.

Source:
Dijck, Jose Van. "Disassembling Platforms, Reassembling Sociality." In The Culture of Connectivity: A Critical History of Social Media, 24-44. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.