Mediating the algorithm: Egyptian gig drivers' folk theories and the cultural politics of urban mobility
tandfonline.com
When Egyptian Uber drivers invent their own theories about how the algorithm works, they reveal how ordinary people resist and reinterpret technological power — and what that means for the future of gig work.
Folk TheoryMediated Discourse AnalysisAlgorithmic GovernancePower Asymmetry
Theory Briefing
- Egyptian gig drivers develop 'folk theories' about ride-hailing algorithms, treating guesswork as a survival strategy in an opaque system.
- Mediated Discourse Analysis reveals how drivers' informal algorithmic beliefs become acts of cultural resistance against platform power.
- The study shows that vernacular theorizing — not just code — shapes the lived politics of urban mobility in the Global South.