Socializing Algorithms Conference

Three-day conference, Oktober 7-9, 2026, Kiel University, Germany

About the conference
Algorithms have become central objects of contemporary societies. They shape how we communicate, work, consume, govern, and imagine possible futures. Yet, despite their pervasiveness, algorithms are not merely technical systems: they are social, political, and cultural objects, embedded in relations of power, shaped by economic incentives, and infused with visions of what society should be. This conference, Socializing Algorithms, brings together scholars from across disciplines to examine algorithms not as isolated technologies, but as co-produced within social practices, institutions, and imaginaries. To structure this exploration, the conference is organized into three strands that address algorithms as socially embedded systems (Socializing Algorithms), as objects of regulation and instruments of governance (Governance and Accountability), and as sites for imagining alternative futures (Socio-technical Imaginaries).

Aim of the conference
The Socializing Algorithms conference brings these strands together to examine algorithms as simultaneously technical systems, regulatory objects, and sites of future-making. By focusing on processes of socialization, governance, and imaginaries, the conference seeks to move beyond essentialist debates about whether algorithms are powerful or powerless, transparent or opaque, and instead highlights how they are co-produced in practice.
We are inviting scholarly contributions tackling questions along one of these streams and we hope the conference will serve as the foundation for a network of researchers and practitioners for further collaboration. The conference is hosted by the “Governing Algorithms” project (DFG) at the Institute of Social Sciences at Kiel University (Prof. Robert Seyfert). The conference will be organised around keynotes, paper presentations, and discussions. It is in-person and requires the submission of an abstract and presentation of a paper. Remote participation or presentation is not possible. For accepted presenters we are able to cover travel and accommodation costs.

If you would like to attend the conference as a guest, please contact us in advance at the following email address:
Conference_2026@algorithmen-regieren.de



Preliminary Conference Program - Socializing Algorithms Conference
Kiel University, Germany, October 7-9, 2026


07.10., Day 1; Location: Kulturspeicher

7:00: Introduction

18:00 - 20:00: Keynote I - N. Katherine Hayles

20:00 Uhr: Reception


08.10., Day 2; Location: Kulturspeicher and Hansa 48

9:30 – 11:00: Panel 1 - Algorithmic Imaginaries
- Lecture 1: Orit Halpern (TU Dresden, GER)
- Lecture  2: Anna-Verena Nosthoff (University of Oldenburg, GER)
- Lecture 3: Jasmin Pfefferkorn & Emilie K. Sunde (University of Melbourne, AUS)
- Commentator: Jens Schröter (University of Bonn, GER)

11:00 - 11:30: Coffee break

11:30 – 13:00: Panel 2 - Algorithmic Sociality I
- Lecture 1: Minna Ruckenstein (University of Helsinki, FIN)
- Lecture 2: Ronja Trischler & Cornelius Schubert (TU University Dortmund, GER)
- Lecture 3: Nathalie Schaefer (Bauhaus-University Weimar, GER)
- Commentator: Nikola Glaubitz (University of Kiel, GER)

13:00 – 14:30: Lunch

14:30 – 16:00: Panel 3 - Algorithmic Sociality II
- Lecture 1:  Renèe Ridgway (Aarhus University, DEN)
- Lecture 2: Xueni Yang (University of Leeds, GBR)
- Lecture 3: Maurice Stenzel (Alexander-von-Humboldt University, GER)
- Commentator: tba

17:00 - 19:00: Dinner

19:30 - 21:30: Keynote II - Future Histories Podcast with Louise Amoore at Hansa48


09.10., Day 3; Location: Kulturspeicher 

9:30 - 11.00:  Panel 4 - Algorithmic Governance I
- Lecture 1: Fabian Ferrari (Utrecht University, NL)
- Lecture 2: Marc Lenglet (NEOMA Business School, FR)
- Lecture 3: Regine Paul (University of Bergen, NOR)
- Commentator: tba

11:00 – 11:30: Coffee Break

11:30 – 13:00: Panel 5 – Algorithmic Governance II
- Lecture 1: Malte Ziewitz (Cornell University, US)
- Lecture 2: Anna-Marie Rönsch (Leuphana University Lüneburg, GER)
- Lecture 3: Blue Maignien (University of Sheffield, GBR)
- Commentator: Daniel Neyland (University of Bristol, UK)

13:00: Lunch/Ending

Additionally as a PDF: Preliminary Conference Program