Algorithmic Power in the Digital Economy: The Role of Machine Learning in Shaping Consumer Behavior and Culture

Abstract

Algorithmic technologies are widely used in contemporary marketing strategies due to the growth of the digital economy. Digital companies can evaluate consumer activity data in real time and provide highly personalized digital experiences thanks to artificial intelligence-based solutions, especially machine learning. In addition to examining how algorithmic governance and surveillance capitalism affect algorithmic personalization, this study looks into how these mechanisms affect consumer engagement, purchase intention, and perceptions of hyperreality within the digital market ecosystem. 356 active users of digital platforms, such as social media and e-commerce, were surveyed as part of this study's quantitative methodology. The links between the constructs in the suggested conceptual model were examined through data analysis using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that the development of algorithmic personalization systems is strongly influenced by data-driven capitalism practices and algorithmic governance. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that algorithmic personalization improves customers' sense of hyperreality and increases their interaction with digital platforms. Additionally, the study shows that the most powerful factor influencing purchase intention is consumer interaction. By combining viewpoints from technology, the political economics of data, and hyperreality theory into a thorough empirical framework, these findings add to the body of knowledge on digital marketing.