Examining digital platform resilience: a social–ecological systems approach

Purpose We examined digital platform resilience through a social–ecological systems lens, treating platforms as socio–technical entities embedded in and interacting across, broader environmental scales. Prior work has offered limited conceptual clarity and empirical tests of which attributes drive resilience. We addressed this gap by investigating the antecedents and consequences of platform resilience. Design/methodology/approach We developed a research model in which socio–technical and cross-scale interaction factors act as antecedents of digital platform resilience, which in turn influences platform performance. We analyzed survey data from 252 business-to-business (B2B) e-marketplaces using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method. Findings Socio–technical factors, namely innovation capacity, diversity, IT infrastructure (ITI) flexibility and ITI efficiency, along with a cross-scale interaction factor, sustainability positioning, serve as critical drivers of digital platform resilience. These antecedents explained 71.6% of the variance in platform resilience. Innovation capacity mediates the effects of diversity and ITI flexibility on platform resilience. Originality/value This research provides a systematic, empirically grounded account of digital platform resilience from a social–ecological systems perspective. It clarifies the antecedents and mechanisms that strengthen platforms against disruption and offers insights for managerial action.