In the field of platform governance studies, academic researchers increasingly rely on datasets of various sizes. While several large-scale datasets have been created by research groups, collaborative efforts of the community, and by public institutions with data inputs by large platforms, many smaller datasets co-exist. Both smaller and larger datasets would benefit from greater visibility, utilization for new research projects and also from higher levels of interoperability. In this innovative three-step community session, we hope to contribute to the exchange about and increase the uptake of datasets created by and/or available to members of the AoIR community to empirically study social media platform governance. After a short introduction, the first step consists of four timed PechaKucha sessions by researchers presenting key datasets that can be used for platform governance research. The PechaKucha style of the presentations – i.e. 20 slides, which are each displayed for 20 seconds and progress automatically – allows for short, informative inputs. In a next step, we encourage the community to mingle around four demo tables, one for each of the datasets presented, at which the datasets can be accessed and explored together. Those using and or curating the datasets stand ready to demonstrate access and use, and to answer questions. This allows for greater immersion into the datasets, for an exchange about formats and uses of the dataset for specific research, and eventually to lower the barriers of accessing and operationalising the data sets and interfaces later on. The third step brings all present members of the community together into a plenary discussion on (1) what datasets are missing (from this session and generally) and (2) how different kinds of data could be made interoperable for greater effectiveness, including smaller datasets. While a number of different platform governance datasets exist, there still remain gaps and the desire to gather additional data relating, e.g. to content moderation, experiences with platform measures, external enforcement, and more. At the same time, interoperability has not been a great focus in the community. Greater interdisciplinary exchange as part of the session can be a starting point toward a better understanding of what standards and formats (future) datasets require to be most useful when employed in conjunction. For this experimental session, we assembled four presentations of datasets created by both academic researchers and regulatory fiat: the Platform Governance Archive of platform policies of large social media platforms; the Platform Governance Survey Dataset of user attitudes toward content moderation; the EU-mandated (Digital Services Act) DSA Transparency Database of content moderation decisions; and X Community Notes data. We secured experienced presenters and facilitators among the proposers of this session, with plenty of expertise with the creation of platform governance datasets. Notably, the demo tables require only a light setup with a screen (or projector) each to explore the datasets together making it an accessible experimental format to add value for the AoIR community.

Timing: Introduction (5 minutes), PechaKucha presentations (30 minutes), Demo Tables (30 minutes), Discussion: Gaps and Interoperability (25 minutes)