The Right to One’s Own Reasons: Autonomy and Online Behavioural Influence

The algorithmic curation of social media content and advertisements has a significant impact on many people’s behaviour. This influence is leading to increasing moral unease, calling for ethical reflection. A common analysis conceptualises problematic online influence as a form of manipulation. This paper argues that this analysis is flawed, since standard accounts of manipulation presuppose a manipulative intention or attitude, which cannot be identified in many cases of algorithmic curation. Instead, it is argued that an account of problematic online influence should focus on the risks posed to social media users’ personal autonomy. An outline of such an account is sketched by identifying two conditions for personal autonomy and arguing that algorithmic curation is likely to undermine both conditions. First, personal autonomy requires the capacity to act for normative reasons. However, social media algorithms often make users act for nonreasons and may erode capacities needed to recognise normative reasons. Second, personal autonomy requires that the reasons for which someone acts cohere with that person’s commitments and life plans. However, social media algorithms invite users to act for reasons isolated from their broader commitments. The conclusion is that social media platforms create wrongful risks to their users’ autonomy.