THE POWER OF ALGORITHMS: DIGITAL HEGEMONY, CRISIS OF REPRESENTATION AND NEW FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION

Abstract

This study departs from the premise that algorithms in the digital age are not merely tools regulating technical processes but also structures that produce ideological and cultural hegemony. The theoretical framework is grounded in Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony and Laclau and Mouffe’s discourse theory. In light of these perspectives, the study examines how algorithms shape access to information, visibility, forms of representation, and political orientations. The aim of the research is to reveal how algorithmic systems shape democratic processes and social inequalities at both theoretical and empirical levels. The study adopts a qualitative case study design and analyzes four cases: algorithmic micro-targeting in the 2014 Indian elections, election manipulation through personal data in the Cambridge Analytica scandal, algorithmic racism in Google’s search engine, and digital exclusion of the poor in social welfare systems. Findings indicate that algorithms do more than organize information; they function as ideological actors that reproduce social biases and influence democratic processes through consent production, exclusion, and direction. This demonstrates that addressing digital inequality is a multi-layered process involving ethical, cultural, and political dimensions, not merely technical ones. In conclusion, the study argues that algorithmic systems should be restructured within the framework of transparency, accountability, and critical media literacy.

Keywords

• Algorithmic hegemony
• digital inequality
• electoral manipulation
• representational crisis
• algorithmic discrimination

ALGORİTMALARIN İKTİDARI: DİJİTAL HEGEMONYA, TEMSİL KRİZİ VE AYRIMCILIĞIN YENİ BİÇİMLERİ

Abstract

Bu çalışma, dijital çağda algoritmaların yalnızca teknik işleyişi düzenleyen araçlar değil, aynı zamanda ideolojik ve kültürel hegemonya üreten yapılar olduğu tezinden hareket etmektedir. Gramsci’nin kültürel hegemonya kuramı ile Laclau ve Mouffe’un söylem kuramı, çalışmanın teorik çerçevesini oluşturmaktadır. Bu kuramlar ışığında, algoritmaların bilgiye erişim, görünürlük, temsiliyet biçimleri ve siyasal yönelimler üzerindeki etkileri incelenmiştir. Araştırmanın amacı, algoritmik sistemlerin demokratik süreçleri ve toplumsal eşitsizlikleri nasıl şekillendirdiğini hem teorik hem de ampirik düzeyde ortaya koymaktır. Çalışma, nitel örnek olay incelemesi yöntemiyle yürütülmüş; 2014 Hindistan seçimleri, Cambridge Analytica skandalı, Google arama motorundaki algoritmik ırkçılık ve sosyal yardım sistemlerinde dijital dışlanma olmak üzere dört vaka analiz edilmiştir. Bulgular, algoritmaların yalnızca bilgi organize etmediğini; aynı zamanda rıza üretimi, dışlama ve yönlendirme işlevleriyle toplumsal önyargıları pekiştiren ve demokratik süreçleri etkileyen ideolojik aktörler olduğunu göstermektedir. Bu durum, dijital eşitsizlikle mücadelenin yalnızca teknik değil; etik, kültürel ve politik boyutları olan çok katmanlı bir süreç olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Sonuç olarak, algoritmik sistemlerin şeffaflık, hesap verebilirlik ve eleştirel medya okuryazarlığı çerçevesinde yeniden düzenlenmesi gerektiği savunulmaktadır.

Keywords

• Algoritmik hegemonya
• dijital eşitsizlik
• seçim manipülasyonu
• temsil krizi
• algoritmik ayrımcılık

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