Martino, V.
Agenda Digitale
2025
In her article “Webfare: Transforming Surveillance into a New Form of Solidarity,” Valeria Martino analyzes the role of algorithms in the classification and control of individuals. Drawing on Ian Hacking’s theory of “making up people,” the author shows how the categories generated by algorithms do not merely describe people but can influence their behaviors, identities, and opportunities. This phenomenon is particularly evident on social media and in welfare systems, where data analysis can generate risk profiles and influence access to services and rights. Martino thus highlights the risk that increasing algorithmic personalization will undermine the principle of social solidarity, transforming the welfare system into one increasingly based on prediction and surveillance. As an alternative, he proposes the concept of “Webfare,” based on the democratic and collective management of data, so that digital technologies become tools for participation, redistribution, and solidarity.
[Martino, 2025] Martino, V. (2025). Webfare: Trasformare la sorveglianza in nuova solidarietà. Agenda Digitale.
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