Appthropology: Using Apps as a Lens for the Global Political Economy
We introduce appthropology, an approach to studying apps as records of economic, political, and social relationships. We examine how software preserves evidence of those relationships while also changing the markets, institutions, and societies around it.
By: Elkenson
October 2nd, 2025
Key findings
Dependencies, service connections, and design choices can reflect commercial partnerships and regulatory pressures. Comparing versions offers a way to trace how these relationships change over time. The paper proposes reading this evidence alongside corporate records and political developments to understand the circumstances shaping software.
The paper uses Huawei to examine how restrictions can affect access to other services and encourage alternative distribution channels. RBS documented that customers with certain Huawei devices could not download its banking app because the bank did not support Huawei’s alternative store. Such disruptions create incentives for users, developers, and suppliers to find workarounds.
Ukraine’s Diia ecosystem supported wartime reporting through the eVorog chatbot, showing how civilian digital services can acquire an operational role. Conversely, Kaspersky’s 2019 CamScanner investigation found a malicious component inside an advertising library. An app’s significance can change through its use, its suppliers, or the code introduced during an update.
Significance
Software provides evidence about relationships that company names and national labels alone cannot explain. Changes inside apps can help analysts investigate the effects of acquisitions, sanctions, and shifts in market access. This approach connects technical evidence with the commercial and geopolitical conditions that give it meaning.
Methods and scope
We developed a conceptual framework drawing on complex adaptive systems theory and published cases involving finance, software dependencies, restrictions, and conflict. The paper proposes combining computational app analysis with economic and political interpretation.
Limitations
The paper introduces an analytical approach rather than presenting a systematic measurement of app ecosystems or a validated forecasting model.
Sources and supporting evidence
The full paper contains the conceptual framework, illustrative cases, and references. Supporting materials include Kaspersky’s CamScanner investigation and RBS’s explanation of Huawei device compatibility.
Suggested citation
Elkenson. “Appthropology: Using Apps as a Lens for the Global Political Economy.” October 2, 2025.