This work examines how global workers, influencers, and activists develop tactics of algorithmic resistance by repurposing the very algorithms that govern our lives. Algorithms increasingly influence our daily experiences, and while discussions around platform power often seem bleak, this exploration highlights how individuals can resist these systems across various domains. Drawing from rich ethnographic research in both the Global North and South, the authors delve into how people adapt algorithms to meet their goals within gig work, cultural industries, and politics. They demonstrate that forms of algorithmic agency and resistance are both common and essential, portraying the platform society as a space of ongoing conflict. The authors introduce a theoretical framework of moral economies, positioning algorithms on a continuum between the user moral economy and the platform moral economy. The narrative chronicles inventive strategies individuals employ to gain agency and challenge the pervasive influence of algorithms. Through diverse case studies, the authors emphasize the moral imperative for all—from delivery drivers to artists and social movements—to actively resist algorithmic control.
