The social construction of algorithms: A reassessment of algorithmic management in food delivery gig work

Abstract

Algorithms are usually regarded as fixed objects. In contrast, the article conceptualises and analyses the (social) construction of algorithmic management. By means of interviews, ethnography and analyses of chats, two allocation algorithms in platform-mediated courier work are examined. Different levels of algorithm construction are identified and a conceptual framework is developed to analyse the connections between the workers' technological frames, theories and practices. It is shown that the couriers develop theories about the algorithms' mode of operation based on their assumptions and experiences, and that their practices are guided by these theories. As a result, it becomes apparent how workers develop false theories about the algorithms' mechanisms due to their opacity, which effectively disciplines their actions. However, the paper further describes how the ontogenetic nature of algorithms gives workers limited but existing agency in their interactions with technologies.