Cyborgs in the network

algorithmic power, activism, and digital literacy

Abstract

Drawing on a broad conception of the cyborg that points to the omnipresence of the Internet in human ways of life, this article initially explores some of the consequences of the hybridisation of bios and techné for notions of subjectivity and identity. Adopting an essayistic and critical-interpretive approach, it brings together theoretical contributions from media studies, the Digital Humanities, and posthumanist thought with a discussion of representative cases that illustrate the issues under analysis. After problematising the contemporary figure of the cyborg, the article argues that the organisation of the digital world is not devoid of particular ways of seeing and making visible, an issue encapsulated by the notion of algorithmic bias and explored through examples of algorithmic bias and censorship. The analysis of these cases provides a basis for discussing forms of digital and artistic activism that use the platforms themselves as sites of resistance, while also highlighting the reconfiguration of power relations associated with the control, processing, and circulation of information. Finally, the article argues for the need for digital literacy that goes beyond the acquisition of merely technical skills, emphasising the relevance of the Digital Humanities in fostering critical users capable of understanding and questioning the political, social, and cultural dimensions of digital spaces.