Reassessing the Transformation of Media Power in the Platform Era: A Systematic Review of the Cultural, Economic and Governance Implications of Social Networking Platforms

The accelerated transformation of digital media and the expansion of platform-based social networks have fundamentally reconfigured classical models of media power, generating an emergent form of power grounded in datafication, algorithmic curation, and the orchestration of user attention. This study aims to systematically revisit the scholarly literature on the transformation of media power in the platform era and to explicate the cultural, economic, and governance implications associated with social media platforms. Using a qualitative–analytical design in the form of a systematic review, relevant studies were identified through a structured search strategy and subsequently screened and appraised against predefined criteria before being subjected to thematic analysis.The findings indicate that media power within platform ecosystems has become increasingly networked, algorithmically mediated, and data-driven. It is no longer reducible to content control alone; rather, it is exercised through the governance of communicative infrastructures, the modulation of visibility, and the steering of information flows. In the cultural domain, social networks produce ambivalent outcomes: they can enable participation and discursive plurality while simultaneously fostering the flattening of public discourse and intensifying social polarization. Economically, the ascendancy of data capitalism and the concentration of infrastructural and market power in dominant platforms have reshaped the structure of media markets and value extraction. At the level of governance, the limitations of legacy regulatory frameworks have become salient, alongside persistent challenges concerning platform transparency, accountability, and oversight. Overall, by offering a systematic synthesis of the existing literature, this study highlights the need for integrative approaches to media management and for the development of novel media governance models suited to platformized communication environments.