Landscapes of the on-demand media encounter

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to identify theoretical observation paths applicable to the abrupt evolution of the platform-based audiovisual streaming market. Starting from an awareness of the field that takes into account Media Studies - both in its production and distribution aspects - and Platform Studies, it is proposed here to apply a methodology derived from ethnographic observation and structural analysis (ethnosemiotics) to bring back to the debate both effective and operational descriptions of the actors involved in the market, as well as theoretical figurations on which to exercise ethical and intersubjective readings, opening up phenomenological problems concerning the immanence of on-demand consumption practices. The paper considers the epistemological field of reference, traces the foundations of the applied methodological proposal and shows the first results of descriptive effectiveness on paradigmatic case studies (Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+), resulting in the introduction of the research fields that all this is meant to open.

Keywords

• media studies
• ethnosemiotics
• phenomenology
• streaming platforms
• subjectivity