Not only big techs matter: digital platformisation and regional structural changes

The paper provides a framework to understand the observed and expected regional structural changes caused by the increasing trend towards digital platformisation in our economies. It suggests going beyond the search for the spatial effects of digital platforms, which to date are typically focused on big techs and highly visible unicorns, with little attention paid to the rise of digital platforms owned by industrial incumbents. A more comprehensive taxonomy of digital platforms is proposed, and the discussion addresses the diverse expected location patterns and regional structural changes that challenge the idea that digital capitalism would be inevitably shaped by a few ‘winners-take-all’ regions.