Exploring the Access‐Value Paradox—The Implications of Access to the Distribution of Value Propositions by Digital Platforms

ABSTRACT Digital platforms act as value distributors that enable and facilitate the delivery of value to potentially large numbers of users, also in the more resource‐stricken areas in the Global South. However, the key requirement for distributing any kind of value is that users can access the platforms, which is far from given due to factors such as the digital divide. Different measures can be taken to lower platform access requirements, yet how these measures impact platforms' ability to distribute their intended value propositions remains unclear. We offer a theorization on how value distribution functions on digital platforms and investigate how it is impacted by access requirements. We draw from two empirical case studies, one from Namibia and another from Uganda, and identify measures that have been taken to lower user requirements for platforms' access and analyze the implications that follow from this. The data collected from these two use cases was analyzed for this research and the results were built on earlier findings by using qualitative meta‐analysis, contributing to the development of a framework regarding distribution of value propositions by digital platforms. The results show how lowering access requirements leads to emphasizing value propositions' primary components at the expense of the secondary components that platforms may also offer. We refer to this phenomenon as the access‐value paradox and demonstrate how it has importance for platform design, implementation, and adaptations to new contexts, and for the developmental role that platforms may have.