Algorithmism
A theoretical proposal for the study of the Algorithmic Society — where algorithms do not merely distribute information, but increasingly participate in the production of decision.
This website presents the conceptual foundations, historical hypothesis, and research agenda of Algorithmism as a sociological framework for understanding how artificial intelligence and algorithmic mediation are reshaping institutions, social relations, and knowledge production.
Central Concept
Algorithmism proposes the Algorithmic Society as a sociological concept for describing a form of social organization in which decision-making processes, information flows, and institutional relations are significantly mediated by algorithmic systems and artificial intelligence.
Definition
Algorithmism is a sociological approach dedicated to the study of social transformations produced by the growing mediation of algorithms and artificial intelligence systems in institutions, human relationships, and the production of knowledge.
What changes
- The circulation of information
- The organization of work
- The formation of social relationships
- The production and dissemination of knowledge
- Mechanisms of governance and power
Analytical focus
Algorithmism does not focus on software engineering or isolated tools. It investigates the structural transformations that emerge when algorithmic mediation becomes part of the organization of social life.
Fundamental Principles
The framework is organized around four principles that describe how algorithms begin to act as structural mediators in contemporary society.
1. Algorithmic Mediation
A growing number of social decisions are mediated by algorithmic systems, from navigation and recommendation to credit allocation and communication flows.
2. Invisible Infrastructure
Algorithmic systems often operate as invisible infrastructures, shaping decisions, interactions, and institutional processes without their inner logic being fully understood by users.
3. Institutional Reorganization
Artificial intelligence progressively transforms labor markets, educational systems, financial institutions, governmental structures, and communication platforms.
4. Symbolic Transformation
Algorithmic mediation influences symbolic production through texts, images, narratives, cultural interpretation, collective imaginaries, and the contemporary transformation of myths and meaning.
Historical Hypothesis
The theory suggests that contemporary societies may be transitioning from an informational society to an algorithmic society, in which the centrality of information gives way to the centrality of data-driven automated decision-making.
Research Agenda
Algorithmism is presented as an initial theoretical proposal that opens a program of sociological investigation rather than closing it.
Institutions
- Algorithmic structures and social institutions
- Public governance and regulatory processes
- Institutional reconfiguration through AI
Relations
- Transformations in the labor market
- Algorithmic mediation of social relations
- Affective life and platform-mediated interaction
Culture & Knowledge
- Symbolic production and culture
- Algorithmic power and governance
- Transformations in forms of knowledge
Official Research Registration
The foundational theoretical document of Algorithmism has been registered with an international scientific DOI and may be cited as the official initial formulation of the concept.
Suggested citation:
Guedes, L. (2026). Algorithmism: A Theoretical Proposal for the Study of the Algorithmic Society. Open Science Framework. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/QS5ZJ
Academic Foundations
This theoretical proposal builds upon established research in sociology, technology, and digital society.
- Daniel Bell — The Coming of Post-Industrial Society (1973)
- Manuel Castells — The Rise of the Network Society (1996)
- Tarleton Gillespie — The Relevance of Algorithms (2014)
- Frank Pasquale — The Black Box Society (2015)
- David Beer — The Data Gaze (2019)
- Shoshana Zuboff — The Age of Surveillance Capitalism (2019)
Algorithmism extends these perspectives by proposing the concept of the Algorithmic Society and the notion of decision production by algorithmic systems.