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Platform, Platform-ba, and Platform Ecology
An Ecological Approach to Platform-based Social Practice
In August 2018, I went on my first cruise trip from Galveston to Cozumel with my family. We sailed on Carnival Dream which is a cruise ship operated by Carnival Cruise Line. At 128,250 GT, the ship is a large cruise ship with various facilities such as a water park with multiple sides, an 18-hole miniature golf course, dining venues, outdoor recreation areas, etc. It can serve 3,646 passengers.
When I took the above picture, I suddenly realized the ship is just a large Platform on the sea. Moreover, I was so excited because I found the cruise trip is a wonderful example of my concept Platform-ba in the real-life world.
In order to describe the platform-based various activities and social practices, I coin the term Platform-ba which means platform-based social field. While a Platform has a solid boundary, its Platform-ba has a soft boundary. For example, platform-based activities can happen inside the platform. While the ship sailed on the sea, we had a fun time with various programs inside the ship.
