From Reputation Accumulation to Resonance Mining: Shifting Social Media Influence Mechanics in Times of Heteronomous Algorithmic Curation

In this talk, I take two of my studies – one on the German Twitter follow network, the other investigating resonances between TV talks shows and TikTok channels during the recent German Federal Elections – as the starting point for further thoughts on how Social Media influence mechanics have gradually shifted: from a reputation game, that while somehow meritocratic still suffers from rich-get-richer dynamics, towards a resonance probing lottery, that lures with an egalitarian get-rich-quickly appeal, but is prone to manipulation and abuse.