To be more independent or more dependent? The evolution mechanism of co-innovation between digital platforms and content creators
通过构建非对称NK模型和智能体仿真，研究了内容创作者对平台的依赖如何影响协同创新，发现内部互动呈倒U型效应，外部依赖有负效应，但在高环境复杂性下依赖平台可降低外部风险。
Co-innovation between digital platforms and complementors is motivated by their interactions, especially on content creation platforms that emphasise creativity. With the platform monopoly, creators are increasingly dependent on the platform thus making the interaction directional. As the long-term effect of the dependency effect on co-innovation under multi-agent networks is currently under-researched, a novel asymmetric NK model is proposed in this paper to evaluate creators’ dependence on the platform through agent-based simulation. The results show that the internal interaction of creators has an inverted U-shaped effect on co-innovation, and the external dependency effect has a negative effect on co-innovation. Further results considering global complexity constraints show that there is a substitution effect between internal interaction and external dependency and that relying on a platform can facilitate co-innovation by reducing potential external risks under high environmental complexity. Moreover, exploratory innovation is equally conducive to co-innovation and enables creators to be less dependent. This study extends a new model for digital platform research and responds to discussions between interaction, exploration, and innovation in the literature.