Situating the Marketization of Data

Abstract

Data are neither inherently valuable, nor do all data have the same value. This contribution argues how data are made useful and valuable to specific actors and for specific purposes. It draws attention to the material politics of data flows and valuation, and to the many different actors and stakeholders who build the technological conduits and pipelines that facilitate the circulation and use of data. Therefore, it highlights the need to study the infrastructural layer of the global data market, as well as the central role of intermediaries who build and uphold these infrastructures for the exchange and use of data for different purposes. Both are important to situate the processes of datafication and data marketization in specific empirical settings.