ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on the changes that algorithmic power is bringing to the realm of politics and the transformations of digital activism. It provides a brief outline of the significance of algorithms in digital politics. The chapter also focuses on two diverse conceptions and manifestations of algorithmic power in politics that emerge from the explorations of two case studies. The first case study is an examination of the contemporary Mexican scenario where institutions and parties have massively deployed algorithmic strategies for propagandistic and repressive purposes. The second case is an investigation of the digital media practices of the Indignados that reveals how Spanish activists used their knowledge of the Twitter algorithm to maximize their visibility, drive the protest narratives and infiltrate the mainstream media agenda. In the Mexican scenario, the use of algorithms for propaganda goes together with its use for repressive purposes.