algorithmic culture

Algorithmic culture and the crossroads of human coexistence

Luciano Petullà · March 15, 2026

The realization of the human according to Humberto Maturana’s theories Introduction At the beginning of a recent essay, philosopher Rosy Braidotti notes that we, people of the 21st century, are now placed in a decidedly post-human context, as demonstrated by the fact that, when interacting through our ubiquitous digital media, we are frequently asked to prove that we are not robots (2019). In the algorithmic culture with which we are now imbued, not only does the way we create and share meaning imply both human and algorithmic agency, but the very capacity for …

A Little Socio-Technical Dictionary of AI and the Chaotic Reality of Algorithmic Culture

Luciano Petullà · June 29, 2025

In this article we will discuss some key elements and concepts of Artificial Intelligence (AI). We will try to outline a brief history in order to highlight how its plot is woven from technical, social and cultural aspects that justify the claims – by the human communities in which these technologies are built and applied – to criticize and generally control its developments. This claim, moreover, is useful to counterbalance both the narratives aimed at exaggerating the expectations that are generated around AI, and the accusations according to which these criticisms …

For the social sustainability of an algorithmic culture

Luciano Petullà · June 1, 2024

Ted Striphas' book Algorithmic Culture Before the Internet has been translated in Italian language and is forthcoming from the publisher Mimesis in the “philosophy of digital” series. This is the English translation of my Italian preface. La cultura algoritmica prima di Internet is about the development and emergence of a human and social life’s new condition due to the growing intertwining between computing and culture. The argument is an enormously and relevant issue thinking about how systematically such an encounter marks us as “onlife” beings (Floridi, …

Origins and Social Meanings of Algorithmic Culture

Luciano Petullà · October 10, 2023

Abstract The social sciences have much to say about the cybernetic turn our lives have taken thanks to the use and intermediation of software applications spread through the Internet. The book Algorithmic Culture Before the Internet by Ted Striphas takes the burden of explaining with originality and expertise the deep cultural history of this epochal turn, offering us useful reflections to interpret and make sense of the current expansion of our relations with the machinic world. Introduction The mass diffusion and adoption of information and communication …