Petter Törnberg: Algorithmic Tyranny & Digital Modernity

About this episode

Nikola Danaylov interviews Petter Törnberg about the implications of algorithmic control and digital modernity.

What do Facebook, Google, and TikTok really see when they look at us — and what do they miss? In this episode of Singularity.FM, Nikola Danaylov (aka Socrates) interviews Petter Törnberg, Assistant Professor of Computational Social Science at the University of Amsterdam and co-author of Seeing Like a Platform: An Inquiry into the Condition of Digital Modernity. Together they explore: How platforms have become the new eyes of power Why algorithms don’t just mirror society — they reshape it The dangers of algorithmic tyranny and invisible control The shift from industrial modernity to digital modernity Why self-organization often hides new forms of hierarchy Whether AI will become the ultimate platform of platforms How citizens, activists, and policymakers can still resist 📘 Petter’s books: Seeing Like a Platform (2025) Intimate Communities of Hate (2024) You can watch the full video recording here: https://www.singularityweblog.com/petter-tornberg/

People in this episode

Host: Nikola Danaylov

Guest: Petter Törnberg

Topics covered

• algorithmic tyranny
• digital modernity
• social media platforms
• power dynamics
• AI and society
• self-organization
• resistance strategies

Keywords

• algorithm
• social media
• digital platforms
• power
• AI
• hierarchy
• resistance
• modernity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Amsterdam, Facebook, Google, TikTok

Books & works: Seeing Like a Platform, Intimate Communities of Hate

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