On finding a palette, pt. 2

The word “platform” appears to be growing more and more common in daily discourse. Everywhere from politics to media to technology and even medicine do we hear about platforms in everyday language. So what are platforms exactly?

If we look at the many definition we can see why the term can be applied so broadly. The full definition of platform from the online merriam-webster dictionary has 8 different meaning or usages of platforms. Platforms can be used to describe a raised surface like a stage, a set of policies by which people stand by (ie. a political platform), as well as a software application and operation system when used within the context of computers.

Looking at the etymology we can see the word derives from the French plateform and plat form meaning a “flat surface” similar to a plateau. It was later derived in the 1800s to refer to a raised surface like a stage or walking area next to a train as well as a “statement of political principles.” This political usage likely derived from the earlier period when Churches preached from their elevated position on the pulpit.

In a sense, by the 1800s “platform" had a dual interrelated usage. It was the physical structure of the elevated stage that allowed for a political message to be declared and for like minded people to assemble under that proclamation. The raised flat plane provided the space for the message.

Today, if we look at a computer specific definition of a platform, there is a similar dual usage as a computer platform is both the hardware and the software that allows a certain software application to run. The platform is the architecture that allows the content to be run on it. However, the difference in the context of computers is that the platform, the new digital platform, is simultaneously both hardware and software, medium and content, as the two are more and more interconnected.

With the proliferation of applications and their merging with traditional media into a new digital “ecosystem”, platforms are now something we “stream” in order to consume our media. But the digital platforms are not just the riverbed in the stream analogy, they are also the process of condensation whereby they turn the content into liquid in order to flow through their networks.

In some ways the stage has swallowed the speaker in the digital space. The new digital platforms have unleashed a new type of message which increases volume and rewards being the most up-to-date but in the process makes the content ephemeral. To be “Trending” is the best way to achieve some longevity by gaining a quasi-immortal status in the digital space.

As media has become more ephemeral, finding the platform that delivers a better interface, a better interaction with the media, is beginning to matter more and more. Crowds rush to find the best platform from which to consume, interact and create. As platforms continue to fracture and start to adopt ideological positions, where you get your information will determine the content itself.

In the 1500s the Church’s message on faith was delivered from the high pulpit, in the 1800s it was the political that became center stage. Now the message is really the technology, the content matters less as crowds look for the most popular stage to stand on.