"In an age where algorithms shape our every interaction, understanding how to navigate and resist their influence is crucial. This talk is based on the findings of a 5-year research project that culminated in the book “Algorithms of Resistance: The Everyday Fight against Platform Power” (co-written with T. Bonini for MIT Press, 2024). I will shed light on how global workers, influencers, and activists develop tactics of algorithmic resistance by appropriating and repurposing the same algorithms that control our lives. Through rich ethnographic insights spanning the Global North and the South, this talk unveils how we are not harmless against algorithmic power. At the same time, I caution about not romanticizing algorithmic resistance considering the profound power imbalance inherent in the platform society."

Emiliano Treré is a Reader in Data Agency and Media Ecologies and Director of International Development at Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Culture. He’s a widely cited author in digital activism, critical data, AI, algorithm studies and digital disconnection with a focus on Latin America and the Global South. He co-founded the ‘Big Data from the South’ Initiative and co-directs the Data Justice Lab. His monograph Hybrid Media Activism (Routledge, 2019) won the Outstanding Book Award of the ICA Interest Group ‘Activism, Communication and Social Justice’. His co-authored book Data Justice (Sage, 2022) was the runner up of the Sage Social Justice Book Award. His latest co-authored book, Algorithms of Resistance (MIT Press, 2024), explores collective forms of power, agency and resistance in the platform society. For more info on his work, check his website: emilianotrere.com.