(Re)action and Free Will in the Digital Age

The Black Box effect and algorithmic mediation of reality: is free will still a thing?

It's a morning like any other. You sip your coffee, and open your feed — a kaleidoscope of pixels and fragments of distorted reality. A post catches your eye, and the swarm of comments engages your tunnel vision. You, perfectly in sync with such chaos, drop a Pepe gif with a smirk, while raising your mug to your mouth.

Like you, millions of people lose t…