(Dis)Obedience in Digital Societies

1. Why did you chose this topic?

Algorithms and data have an insane impact on our daily lives – they change us on an individual level, but they also have an enormous influence on society and politics. The topic is so huge and all-encompassing that it naturally exerts a great fascination.

2. What new perspectives does your book offer?

The influence of algorithms and data on digital society is discussed frequently – but we are particularly interested in whether and how it is possible to escape this influence. Are there ways to break the power of algorithms? Can we be disobedient? Our book brings together very different positions from various disciplines in order to broadly negotiate the topic of algorithmic power through the discussion of disobedience.

3. What makes your topic relevant for current research debates?

The influence of algorithms and data is spreading with enormous speed – our publication selectively shows how different disciplines are shaped by this influence or how they can relate to it. Accordingly, our interdisciplinary book can serve as a starting point for internal discourses.

4. Choose one person you would like to discuss your book with!

The question is not so easy to answer – as citizens and part of this society, it would of course be exciting to discuss the contents with political decision-makers. As scientists, however, we are naturally interested in the theoretical exchange – and since the topic is interdisciplinary, there are hardly any restrictions here.

5. Your book summary in one sentence:

Since algorithms influence individual behavior in social and political situations, their power should be the subject of critical discourse – we want to fuel this discourse with this book by discussing disobedience in this context.