Electronic Markets (EM) is a leading academic journal that offers a forum for research on all forms of networked business. EM recognizes the transformational role of information and communication technology (IT) in changing the interaction between organizations and customers, which is present in social networks, electronic commerce, supply chain management, or customer relationship management. Electronic markets, in particular, refer to forms of networked business where multiple suppliers and customers interact for economic purposes within one or among multiple tiers in economic value chains. As a broad concept, there are many forms of electronic markets: In a narrow sense, electronic markets are mainly conceived as allocation platforms with dynamic price discovery mechanisms involving atomistic relationships. Popular examples originate from the financial (e.g., CBOT, XETRA) and energy markets (e.g., EEX, ICE).    

In a broader sense, price discovery is not critical for Electronic Markets. These solutions emphasize longer-term relationships and processes for enabling business transactions (e.g., electronic procurement solutions) and/or knowledge management (e.g., product development, problem and incident management). EM covers diverse aspects of networked business and welcomes research from a technological, organizational, societal, and/or political perspective. Since EM is a methodologically pluralistic journal, quantitative and qualitative research methods are both welcome as long as the studies are methodologically sound. Conceptual and theory-development papers, empirical hypothesis testing, and case-based studies are all welcome.
More information on EM's scope as well as some examples are provided in Editorial 24/3, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12525-014-0163-9.

Officially cited as: Electron Markets

Special Issue on Digital influence in the platform economy: Governance, value creation, and market dynamics
Submission Date: 2026-03-01

Theme

Digital platforms have evolved beyond real-time price negotiation (Alt & Zimmermann, 2014). Contemporary electronic platforms now function as infrastructures supporting sustained interorganisational processes, enabling strategic sourcing, digital procurement, and collaborative knowledge exchange (Alt & Zimmermann, 2014; Alt, 2020).

The platform economy, an encompassing ecosystem (Hein et al., 2020), generates value from digital marketplaces (Tan et al., 2024), social media networks (Fu et al., 2024), and platform-based entrepreneurship (Cutolo & Kenney, 2021), becoming central to global economic activity (De Reuver et al., 2018). Within this economy, digital influence (Backaler, & Shankman,2018) influencers - has become a significant mechanism for value creation, consumer engagement, and brand strategy. Social media platforms (Dolbec & Smith, 2025; Saternus et al., 2024; Waltenrath, 2024) and the rise of the creator economy have enabled scalable, platform-mediated relationships between content creators, consumers, and firms. Despite this model’s rapid growth, the governance, monetisation, and platformisation of influencers remain underexplored, particularly in terms of how value is distributed and how different stakeholders (UGC platforms, creators, consumers) negotiate control, authenticity, and trust (Gu et al., 2024).

The evolution of influencers from endorsers to entrepreneurial co-creators, via equity partnerships and collaborative product development, raises key questions about power redistribution, financial sustainability, and brand authenticity in the platform economy (Pradhan et al., 2023; Libai et al., 2025). Similarly, the increasing adoption of community-driven monetisation, like subscriptions and crowdfunding, redefines the creator-user relationship and requires deeper exploration of creator autonomy and user dynamics (Cartwright et al., 2022).

Simultaneously, the platform economy presents increasing ethical and socio-economic concerns requiring scholarly scrutiny. Platform-driven monetisation often favours larger influencers, exacerbating financial inequalities in the creator economy (Leung et al., 2022). Unclear regulations and inconsistent sponsorship disclosures (Cao & Belo, 2024) further complicate ethical issues, as influencers face pressure to align with potentially incongruent values. Deceptive advertising (De Veirman & Hudders, 2020), inadequate transparency, and the spread of misinformation erode consumer trust and pose significant regulatory challenges (European Commission, 2024).

Finally, the increasing sophistication of AI-generated content, blurring authenticity and fabrication, alongside the rise of virtual influencers, necessitates a critical re-evaluation of trust and identity. In addition, the long-term implications for labour, ethics, and platform governance remain under-theorised (Leung et al., 2022). These shifts require reconfiguring value creation in the influencer ecosystem, offering new avenues for sustainable growth while raising urgent theoretical and practical questions that warrant rigorous academic investigation within the platform economy, making it a timely and compelling focus for this special issue.

Central Issues and Topics

This special issue welcomes contributions exploring key tensions and transformations within the platform economy, particularly through influencers and platform-based commerce. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

- Disruption and market dynamics for influencers on digital platforms
- Future of digital influence on digital platforms
- Influencer entrepreneurship and creator-economy business models
- Design of platforms in the influencer and creator economy
- Role of artificial intelligence and algorithms in the influencer economy
- Value creation and revenue models in the influencer economy
- Impact of influencers on pricing in electronic marketplaces
- Authenticity, ethics, and influencer trust in the influencer economy
- Power asymmetries between platforms and influencers during brand collaborations
- Emotional costs of platform culture and influencer well-being
- Regulatory and policy challenges, transparency, disclosures, and consumer protection