Description
At the heart of the fluidity of modern digital realities, transformed incessantly by echo chambers, misinformation and social media, lie the structuring abilities of algorithms. Influenced by often biased criteria, the way that algorithms are defining private and public life has brought questions of online identity and how users construct their senses of Self at a time when the digital realm is becoming increasingly prominent. Most notable is the question of whether the algorithm changes how users perceive (and construct) themselves.
The scope of this paper is focused on mapping out the structuring effect of algorithms as well as addressing the question of how to study the effects of algorithms. Looking at the provisional findings from applying social network analysis to TikTok’s algorithm, it discusses the construction of echo chambers and the algorithmic paths users follow as they consume content online. These findings subsequently have important links to extremism and patterns of radicalization, especially for ideologies like masculinism which call for the (re-)establishment of male domination and benefit strongly from the algorithmically-structured spaces of social media.
