Algorithms, corporate surveillance and elections: Argentinian and Italian cases

The effects of digital communication have been observed and commented on, but what about the key player in this process? Through quantitative and qualitative data, from the count of shares and likes to the uses of keywords, we have tried to understand more about the activity of the Facebook algorithm in the communications sphere. It represents the link between the users and the sources. Despite its massive role in shaping the public opinion, a veneer of neutrality is given to it. But is this activity really neutral? What happens when this process starts being the primary way people get informed about social and political issues such as elections or protests against the establishment? The panel will hear from three different experts in testing black box algorithm, and will evaluate how we should interpret and measure these phenomena, making them accessible for a non-expert audience and, as far as possible, empowering the user.