Peripheral youth and digital networks: algorithmic hegemony and symbolic insurgency

Abstract

This theoretical essay, based on a critical-interpretative approach, analyzes contemporary forms of social participation among peripheral youth of Generation Z, a generation born in the mid-1990s onwards, alongside the expansion of the internet. The investigation articulates critical bibliographic references and observations of recent social phenomena, discussing how youth resist the processes of platformization of everyday life, algorithmic surveillance, and deepening inequalities. The study examines the political use of digital networks as a space of symbolic dispute and selective visibility, highlighting the construction of insurgent subjectivities that challenge the logic of neoliberal self-exposure and social invisibility. By illuminating the contradictions between algorithmic hegemony and counter-hegemonic practices in digital everyday life, the article contributes to understanding the potentialities and limits of political action among youth in peripheral contexts.