Politics of algorithms – Algopol

The current evolution of the Internet relies crucially on algorithms for ranking and sorting digital content and online users and, more broadly, for appraising information circulation. The objective of the project is to analyze these transformations, the use of these algorithms and to develop knowledge regarding the new metrics of information on the web.

This interdisciplinary project, which gathers sociologists and computer scientists, aims at providing an understanding of the novel economics of information and influence on the web. The project ambition stems from the observation of a tension between contexts of affinity interactions (related to ego-centered and homophilic discussions on the web) and contexts of authority construction (related to
the circulation of digital content across broader communities, and the position and credibility of individuals embedded within such communities).

It relies on three pillars: extraction and construction of datasets relevant to online authority issues, sociological analysis of the interaction and ranking processes, and development of algorithms and models to appraise both descriptively and normatively those dynamics.