The algorithmic public opinion as an open heuristic

Abstract

There is little doubt that the persisting integration of algorithmic – and, more recently, AI-driven – systems into public opinion formation processes continues to spark lively discussion in the cross-disciplinary debate on critical algorithmic studies and the digital society. These issues raise fundamental questions about the interplay between human and technological actors and the evolving power dynamics that shape the visibility, circulation and interpretation of digital content. In this response, we welcome the opportunity to engage with the insightful commentaries we have received, which raise important issues about terminology, conceptual framing, user agency, technological determinism, and the broader political economic dynamics that concern the conceptual construction of the ‘algorithmic public opinion’ that we provide in our article.