Introduction

TL;DR: The book explores the political theory of algorithms as institutions, focusing on their impacts on contemporary society and democracy.

Abstract: Abstract This chapter presents the problems and structure of the book, in a way that invites the reader to understand the fundamental ideas that will be presented in the following chapters. The central argument of the book is that algorithms are not only changing existing institutions, but can, themselves, be conceived of as institutions in the extent to which they frame contexts of interactions, create pathways to development, inducing or constraining certain behaviours with collective consequences. Algorithms are reshaping the conditions for actions in many contexts, as they structure rules, norms, and meanings grounding social action. In this book we build a political theory of algorithms as institutions, initiating a research agenda on the impacts of algorithmic institutions on contemporary society, especially for democracy.