Anne Helmond

Anne Helmond is an Associate Professor at Utrecht University's Faculty of Humanities, working within the Media, Data & Citizenship research group. She is a leading scholar in platform studies, focusing on the historical development and contemporary dynamics of digital platforms and their impact on society. Her research spans platformization, web history, datafication, and the political economy of digital infrastructures.

• Faculty of Humanities, Utrecht University
• Media, Data & Citizenship research group
• ICON - Media and Performance Studies
• ORCID: 0000-0003-4327-4012

Helmond's research interests center on platform studies, with particular focus on platformization processes, the historical development of web platforms, and the political economy of digital infrastructures. Her work examines how platforms shape digital society, influence data practices, and transform media ecosystems. She investigates the evolution of platform power, the industrialization of artificial intelligence, and the conglomeration dynamics in the global digital economy. Her research connects platform studies with broader societal concerns including sustainability, public values, and democratic governance in digital societies.

Helmond's publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly output with significant impact, particularly her seminal 2015 article "The Platformization of the Web: Making Web Data Platform Ready" which has received over 780 citations. Her recent work focuses on Big AI, cloud infrastructure, super-appification, and platform governance. Her research shows a clear trajectory from historical web studies to contemporary analyses of AI and platform power dynamics.

Helmond has received significant scholarly recognition with her work being cited in policy sources, picked up by numerous news outlets, and widely shared across social media platforms. Her research has been referenced in Wikipedia pages and policy documents, demonstrating its relevance beyond academia.

She actively engages with the public through media contributions, particularly on topics related to AI's environmental impact and the hidden world behind artificial intelligence systems. Her public commentary demonstrates commitment to translating complex digital phenomena for broader societal understanding.