THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ALGORITHMS ON CULTURAL CONSUMPTION: HOW DO ALGORITHMS SHAPE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF ART AND CULTURE

This research evaluates the impact of social media algorithms on cultural consumption, particularly how audience engagement, artwork visibility, and the freedom of artistic expression, all of which are impacted by curation. To achieve this, the study employed a qualitative methodological approach where 15 individuals, comprising social media consumers, content creators, and digital marketers, were interviewed to understand their interactions with algorithmically organized cultural material. Thematic analysis demonstrated that algorithmic bubbles, created through personalization, reduce the range of diverse artistic works, while visibility bias favors over-engagement independent or experimental works. Furthermore, highlight findings from the intensive interviews reveal the effects of platform capitalism where cultural production is increasingly subject to the monetization logic as opposed to the artistic production. Content creators expressed concerns about their increasing reliance on algorithms, with art evolving into a business as they modify their works to fit trends. This study highlights the embedded power relations within algorithmic governance, calling attention to the transparency and regulatory policies as well as ethical programmatic interventions that are necessary to protect and sustain a rich and diverse cultural ecosystem. These outcomes add to the existing scholarship in media studies, digital sociology, and cultural policy by providing a case study revealing how technology, culture, and art interrelate in the age of digitization and globalization. Further studies ought to examine policy-based solutions as well as inter-platform differences to comprehensively analyse the ramifications of algorithmic cultural mediation over time.