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Cited by 945Ethics and Social Impacts of AICybernetics and Technology in SocietyInformation Systems Theories and Implementation

The social power of algorithms

Open access
Beer, David·2017·Information, Communication & Society
DOI 10.1080/1369118x.2016.1216147
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Abstract

This article explores the questions associated with what might be thought of as the social power of algorithms. The article, which introduces a special issue on the same topic, begins by reflecting on how we might approach algorithms from a social scientific perspective. The article is then split into two sections. The first deals with the issues that might be associated with an analysis of the power of the algorithms themselves. This section outlines a series of issues associated with the functionality of the algorithms and how these functions are powerfully deployed within social world. The second section then focuses upon the notion of the algorithm. In this section, the article argues that we need to look beyond the algorithms themselves, as a technical and material presence, to explore how the notion or concept of the algorithm is also an important feature of their potential power. In this section, it is suggested that we look at the way that notions of the algorithm are evoked as a part of broader rationalities and ways of seeing the world. Exploring the notion of the algorithm may enable us to see how algorithms also play a part in social ordering processes, both in terms of how the algorithm is used to promote certain visions of calculative objectivity and also in relation to the wider governmentalities that this concept might be used to open up.

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Crossref · 10.1080/1369118x.2016.1216147

Cites

43 of 43 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • When professionals cannot analyze the reasoning behind AI decisions, they miss out on the learning process, lacking opportunities to reflect on, deepen, or update their expertise.

    “When professionals cannot analyze the reasoning behind AI decisions, they miss out on the learning process (Beer 2017), lacking opportunities to reflect on, deepen, or update their expertise (Beane 2019).”

    From To Engage or Not to Engage with AI for Critical Judgments: How Professionals Deal with Opacity When Using AI for Medical Diagnosis (2022) · cites this paper as Beer 2017

    The Abstract (page unavailable) discusses the difficulty of understanding algorithms and describes rules hidden within 'black boxes.' It does not say that professionals who cannot analyze AI decisions miss out on a learning process. The later claim about updating expertise is cited to Beane, not Beer. (LLM, conf=0.78)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Power is operationalized through the algorithm, in that algorithmic output cements, maintains or produces certain truths, and users' understanding of the world is changed through their algorithmic interaction.

    “Beer (2017) noted that power is “operationalized through the algorithm, in that the algorithmic output cements, maintains or produces certain truths” (p.8) and users' understanding of the world is changed through their algorithmic interaction.”

    From Expanding on the Frames: Making a Case for Algorithmic Literacy (2023) · cites this paper as Beer, 2017

  • While machine algorithms shape human actions, humans shape these algorithms through their actions, creating a recursive relationship.

    “While machine algorithms shape human actions, humans shape these algorithms through their actions, which create a recursive relationship (Beer, 2017).”

    From Artificial Intelligence and Management: The Automation–Augmentation Paradox (2021) · cites this paper as Beer, 2017

  • The collective impact of algorithms has spurred discussions on the autonomy afforded to end users.

    “The collective impact of algorithms has spurred discussions on the autonomy afforded to end users.(Ananny and Crawford 2018;Beer 2017;Taddeo and Floridi 2018b;Möller et al. 2018;Malhotra et al. 2018;Shin and Park 2019;Hauer 2019;Bauer and Dubljević 2020).”

    From The ethics of algorithms: key problems and solutions (2022) · cites this paper as Beer 2017

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Cites

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2 of the 45 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Foucault, M. (2002). Power: Essential works of Foucault 1954-1984, Volume 3. London: Penguin.
  2. Foucault, M. (2014). On the government of the living: Lectures at the collège de France 1979-1980. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
  3. Ziewitz, M. (Ed.). (2016a). Governing algorithms. Science, Technology & Human Values, 41, 3-132.

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Authors
Beer, D.
Affiliations
University of York (GB)
Corresponding author
Beer, David
ORCID
Beer, David
Venue
Information, Communication & Society
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2016-08-08
Volume
20
Issue
1
Pages
1-13
ISSN
  • 1369-118X (ISSN-L)
  • 1468-4462
DOI
10.1080/1369118x.2016.1216147
OpenAlex
W2507975203
Cited by
945
References
45
Citations by year
2026: 196 · 2025: 91 · 2024: 101 · 2023: 157 · 2022: 99 · 2021: 108 · 2020: 64 · 2019: 69 · 2018: 45 · 2017: 15
FWCI
104.91
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Information Communication & Society (publishedVersion)
  • White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Cybernetics and Technology in Society
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Information Systems Theories and Implementation
Keywords
algorithms, social power, social ordering, governmentality, rationality, algorithmic governance

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