Journal article
Epistemic welfare and algorithmic recommender systems: overcoming the epistemic crisis in the digitalized public sphere
Communication theory, qtaf018
25 Aug 2025
Abstract
Working with the concept of epistemic welfare, defined as creating and maintaining the conditions and capabilities for individuals’ epistemic agency in the public sphere, this contribution provides a theoretical framework to demonstrate a way out of what has been described as an epistemic crisis, illustrating this with the case of algorithmic recommender systems used by media organizations. First, we identify the processes of datafication, algorithmization and platformization and their impact on the public sphere, specifically how they disrupt knowledge production, dissemination and acquisition. Next, we combine social epistemology, welfare studies and communication research to build a framework that allows analyzing how well communicative social practices, procedures and institutions fulfill epistemic standards and, thus, contribute to individuals’ opportunities to exercise their epistemic agency and reach epistemically valuable states. Finally, we discuss epistemic welfare’s implications for media governance, i.e., building conditions and capabilities that ensure epistemic agency.
Metrics
5 Record Views
Details
- Title
- Epistemic welfare and algorithmic recommender systems: overcoming the epistemic crisis in the digitalized public sphere
- Creators
- Aaron Hyzen (Corresponding Author) - University of AntwerpHilde Van den Bulck - Drexel UniversityManuel Puppis - University of FribourgMichelle Kulig - University of FribourgSteve Paulussen - University of Antwerp
- Publication Details
- Communication theory, qtaf018
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Number of pages
- 12
- Grant note
- FWO (Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek / Research Foundation- Flanders)Schweizerischer Nationalfonds (SNF) / Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF): FWO G078625N, SNF 212521
Funding support for this article was provided by the FWO (Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek / Research Foundation- Flanders) and Schweizerischer Nationalfonds (SNF) / Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) (FWO G078625N and SNF 212521).
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Communication
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001555855400001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105029518161
- Other Identifier
- 991022084285004721
InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Communication