Building National Research Infrastructure for Digital Platform Observability at Scale

Bogdan Mamaev, Daniel Angus, Amanda Lawrence and Richard Sinnott
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Bogdan Mamaev: School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deakin University, Australia
Daniel Angus: Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Amanda Lawrence: School of Media and Communication, RMIT University, Australia
Richard Sinnott: School of Computing and Information Systems, University of Melbourne, Australia

Media and Communication, 2026, vol. 14

Abstract: Digital platforms have fundamentally transformed public communication, yet the capacity to study them is increasingly threatened by restricted data access, opaque algorithmic architectures, and complex legal barriers. Addressing these challenges requires a paradigm shift from isolated, project-based solutions toward shared, national-scale research infrastructures. We present the Australian Internet Observatory (AIO) as a case study of a multi-year initiative designed to facilitate digital media platform observability at scale. The AIO integrates access to computational resources, data governance frameworks, and diverse data sourcing methods, ranging from platform-centric API-harvesting to user-focused data donations. The AIO addresses methodological challenges, ethics, the technical skills gap, and the complexities of regulatory compliance. We argue that shared infrastructures function as vital institutional interventions to ensure independent, reproducible, and ethical digital media research in a continuously evolving media environment.

Keywords: Australian Internet Observatory; data donation; digital media; observability; research infrastructure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:meanco:v14:y:2026:a:12090

DOI: 10.17645/mac.12090

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