Transgressing local, national, global spheres: the blackboxed dynamics of platformization and infrastructuralization of primary education

Abstract

This article analyzes how platformization and infrastructuralization are currently reshaping the educational sector by engaging in ‘sphere transgressions’, resulting in the merging of a local and national public sector into a transnational and globaldigitalmarket. It elaborates on the adaptive learning application Bingel as a case-in-point to exemplify how sphere transgressions are conducive to data accumulation across national markets and sectors into transnational and global data infrastructures. Zooming in on these processes as ‘sphere transgressions’ we ask: how are local student data becoming prime assets in the global flow of digital resources? How does this benefit the financial basis of tech firms rather than serving the need for openness and transparency of educational institutions? The conclusion expands on the implications of these sphere transgressions for the future of national education as a public good.