Architectures of Influence: Algorithms and the Differential Shaping of Cultural Hybridity in the Global South and West

Hadjer Ben Salem

doi:10.25038/am.v0i28.658

Authors

Hadjer Ben Salem Department of English Language, University of Biskra, Algeria https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8916-166X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25038/am.v0i28.658

Keywords:

algorithmic culture; platform capitalism; data colonialism; cultural hybridity; creative syncretism; digital visibility.

Abstract

Digital vlogs, disseminated through social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, serve as an important vehicle for creating global cultural hybridization. However, there is limited research on how vlogging practices in the Global South are shaped by platform dynamics and global digital cultures. A qualitative examination of 30 selected vlogs from Nigeria, India, and Latin America demonstrated that Global South content creators engaged in cultural resistance in their vlogging to challenge platform constraints and Western norms, all while working with local languages, symbols, and narratives.

Author Biography

Hadjer Ben Salem, Department of English Language, University of Biskra, Algeria

Hadjer Ben Salem (1982) is an Algerian English teacher and researcher specializing in English Literature and Civilization from the University of Biskra. She has research interests in Second Language Acquisition, language policy, and pedagogic innovation in post-colonial, multilingual contexts, and her latest research has examined translanguaging practices in Algerian university classrooms.

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Architectures of Influence: Algorithms and the Differential Shaping of Cultural Hybridity in the Global South and West

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DOI:

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Author Biography

Hadjer Ben Salem, Department of English Language, University of Biskra, Algeria

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