The Emergence of an Apparatus of Transparency in Online Platforms (2010–2023)

This article analyzes the evolution of platform transparency discourses and practices since 2010, tracing their alignment with shifting corporate strategies and sociopolitical dynamics. It interrogates tensions between democratic ideals of openness and strategic corporate disclosure, conceptualizing transparency as an evolving apparatus mediating power relations. Employing discourse analysis and a genealogical framework of four overlapping phases, the study demonstrates how transparency constructs agency, governance, and subjectivity. The findings advance debates on digital platform regulation, underscoring theoretical, policy, and normative implications.