‘They have my kundli ’: Understanding urban upper-middle-class Indians’ beliefs about social media algorithms
2026-06-15
This study examines urban upper-middle-class Indian social media users’ knowledge of, attitudes toward, and practices with social media algorithms. Interviews ( N = 30) reveal they primarily use Instagram and have a basic understanding of algorithms, with algorithmic awareness and knowledge functioning as forms of cultural capital. They also articulate folk theories about how algorithms operate, some of which reflect a relational rather than individually-centered view of algorithmic personalization. Furthermore, they express mixed attitudes toward algorithms, including a positive view of algorithms as smart technologies they can control to view global trends, and a critical view of algorithms as manifestations of platform power associated with surveillance and advertising. These views are informed by long-standing cultural beliefs equating technology with globalization and aspiration, contemporary concerns about social media’s effects, and participants’ social status. This study therefore expands our understanding of how context shapes algorithmic sensemaking, presenting insights from a critical Global South setting.