App Ecosystem Analysis

Open Access
Authors
Publication date 2026
Host editors
  • Gerard Goggin
  • Larissa Hjorth
Book title The Routledge Companion to Mobile Media
ISBN
  • 9780367759049
  • 9780367762247
ISBN (electronic)
  • 9781003166016
Edition 2nd
Chapter 34
Pages (from-to) 299–310
Number of pages 12
Publisher New York: Routledge
Organisations
  • Faculty of Humanities (FGw) - Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research (AIHR) - Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis (ASCA)
Abstract
This chapter introduces methods for analyzing app ecosystems, emphasizing that apps are not standalone entities but exist within larger ecosystems. It outlines three approaches: apps “for that”, examining thematic collections of apps like those addressing the COVID-19 pandemic; apps “for” apps, focusing on apps developed for specific platforms like social media apps; and apps in apps, investigating third-party services embedded within apps. The chapter concludes by highlighting the importance of these approaches for understanding the cultural, economic, and political dynamics of app ecosystems.
Document type Chapter
Language English
Related dataset Historical Google Play and iTunes (App) Store charts, 2010–2019 [COVID-19]-related Android (Google Play) and iOS (App Store) app ecosystems COVID-19 Apps (Collection) Social media-related Android (Google Play) and iOS (iTunes Store) app ecosystems Historical [COVID-19]-related Android (Google Play) and iOS (App Store) app ecosystems, 2020–2022
Related publication Super-Appification: Conglomeration in the Mobile Ecosystem Editorial Introduction Apps and Infrastructures – a Research Agenda The Nationality of Apps Pandemic platform governance: Mapping the global ecosystem of COVID-19 response apps Store, interface, package, connection Multi-Situated App Studies: Methods and Propositions Editorial Introduction Exploring Appification App Studies: Platform Rules and Methodological Challenges Super-appification: Conglomeration in the global digital economy Appification in the Age of AI
Published at https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003166016-38
Downloads
App Ecosystem Analysis_26_03_05_17_43_35 (Final published version)
Permalink to this page
Back