Psychopower and Algorithmic Architecture

proposal for a cyclic model of subjectivity capture and induction on digital platforms

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the algorithmic architecture of digital platforms in order to demonstrate that it structures a cyclical model of the capture and induction of subjectivity, highlighting its correspondence with the concept of psychopower. The starting point is the following research question: How does the algorithmic architecture of digital platforms organize a cycle of data collection, processing, and targeting capable of materializing psychopower in digital society? A qualitative methodology with a theoretical-philosophical approach is adopted, developed through a literature review and conceptual analysis, using the hypothetical-deductive method. The hypothesis of this study holds that platforms operate through a continuous technical cycle of data collection, processing, targeting, and feedback (digital platforms, data collection and storage, algorithms, data output, and system feedback), converting subjectivity into quantifiable information and returning it to the individual in the form of behavioral induction. As a result, a theoretical-cyclical model for the operationalization of psychopower on digital platforms is proposed, structured in interdependent stages that highlight the transformation of freedom into informational raw material. It is concluded that psychopower manifests itself not only as an abstract philosophical category but as an organized technical structure, whose algorithmic architecture facilitates the capture and modulation of subjectivity in digital society.