Shaping Participation: How Digital Platform Design Influences User Participation

Authors

Gabriel März
University of Turku, Turku School of Economics

Synopsis

This paper provides an integrative perspective on the factors influencing platform participation, a key driver of platform success. Based on a structured literature review of 99 scholarly articles from leading journals, this study synthesizes insights from the strategic, technical, and economic perspectives on digital platform design and governance from a participant viewpoint. It develops a participant-centric model that outlines the major determinants of platform adoption and homing decisions, considering both monetary and non-monetary costs, opportunity costs, and perceived benefits. The model also captures the dynamics of network effects and their implications for platform value creation, emphasizing the importance of strategic resource orchestration and adaptation over time. By unifying diverse concepts and frameworks, the paper addresses the complexity of platform ecosystems and provides actionable insights for platform providers seeking to enhance participant engagement and long-term platform viability. It contributes to the academic discourse by offering a comprehensive reference for future research and practical guidance for effective platform design and management.

Author Biography

Gabriel März, University of Turku, Turku School of Economics

Turku, Finland. E-mail: gabriel.g.marz@utu.fi

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Published

June 9, 2025

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

März, G. (2025). Shaping Participation: How Digital Platform Design Influences User Participation. In A. Pucihar, M. Kljajić Borštnar, S. Blatnik, M. Marolt, R. W. H. Bons, K. Smit, & M. Glowatz (Eds.), & (Ed.), 38th Bled eConference: Empowering Transformation: Shaping Digital Futures for All: Conference Proceedings (pp. 281-304). University of Maribor Press. https://doi.org/10.18690/um.fov.4.2025.18