This book provides a critical study of the power, trust and legitimacy of algorithmic gatekeepers.

Arjen van Dalen is Professor WSR at the Center for Journalism of the University of Southern Denmark. He wrote his PhD dissertation on Political Journalism in Comparative Perspective and is co-author of an award-winning book on this topic with Cambridge University Press. He published in journals such as Political Communication, Journalism, the International Journal of Press/Politics, and Public Opinion Quarterly. His research on algorithmic gatekeeping is funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark and Carlsberg Foundation.

List of Figures

List of Tables

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Algorithmic power

1.2 Conceptualizing algorithmic gatekeeping

1.3 Technological determinism, hard and weak

1.4 Theoretical considerations

1.5. Legitimacy and trust

1.6 Outline and Content of the Book

Chapter 2: Algorithm Aversion

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Making sense of news algorithms

2.3 Research questions

2.4 Method

2.5 Results

2.6 Conclusion

Chapter 3: The Mediating Power of Algorithms

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Misinformation and algorithms

3.3 YouTube and Autism Spectrum Disorder

3.4 The mediating power of YouTube's algorithms

3.5 Research questions

3.6 Method

3.7 Results

3.8 Conclusion

Chapter 4: Structuring Power

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Influencers: politically relevant strategic actors

4.3 Algorithmic power

4.3 Research questions

4.4 Method

4.5 Results

4.6 Conclusion

Chapter 5: Algorithmic Power, Trust and Legitimacy

5.1 Algorithmic power

5.2 Algorithms, trust and legitimacy

5.3 Implications

References