Abstract

This article reconceptualizes the pharmacological term “off-label use” in the context of platforms and apps. It combines literature on technological appropriation with research on platforms’ sociotechnical arrangements to understand off-label use as platform appropriation. This conceptual work is applied to an investigation of Tinder, involving analysis of the platform, media articles, and interviews. Findings show that off-label use, such as marketing and campaigning, appropriates Tinder’s infrastructure and sociocultural meanings. Tinder also responds to disruptive off-label uses with changes in governance and infrastructure. This analysis shows how off-label use can locate user agency while uncovering shifting relations among users and platforms.

摘要

本文在平台和应用程序的上下文中重新概念化了“标签外使用”的药理术语。它将有关技术专有权的文献与对平台社会技术安排的研究相结合，以了解标签外使用作为平台专有权。这项概念性工作适用于Tinder的调查，包括对平台，媒体文章和采访的分析。调查结果表明，标签以外的用途（例如市场营销和竞选活动）适合Tinder的基础设施和社会文化意义。Tinder还通过治理和基础架构的变化来应对破坏性的标签外使用。该分析显示了标签外使用如何在发现用户与平台之间不断变化的关系的同时定位用户代理。