We often think of social media as a space where anyone can make their voice heard. For activists, these platforms have become essential tools for organising, sharing information and reaching people beyond their immediate communities. But increasingly, what people see, and what they don't see, is being determined by systems they cannot see or understand.
Through our Activist Algorithm project, Oxfam Novib and Oxfam Intermón spoke with activists working on issues including climate justice, migrant rights, Palestinian solidarity, LGBTQIA+ rights and digital rights in the Netherlands and Spain.
What they told us was strikingly similar.
Activists described uncertainty about why their content was being restricted or reaching fewer people. Some talked about changing the way they communicate to avoid being penalised by platform algorithms. Others described harassment, surveillance and the growing pressure to make themselves, and their messages more visible in order to be heard.
For activists working on contested issues, these aren't simply technical problems. They affect whose voices enter public debate, how movements organise, and whether people feel safe enough to participate. And the technology is changing quickly.
Generative AI is creating new possibilities for activists, but also new concerns: manipulated content, automated misinformation, profiling and increasingly sophisticated systems that can shape what people encounter online. This raises a question that goes beyond technology:
“Who gets to participate in public life when the infrastructure for being heard is increasingly governed by algorithms?”
For Oxfam, this is part of a much bigger conversation about civic space and the ability of people and movements to organise, speak out and hold power to account. The Activist Algorithm project is one way we are learning from those directly experiencing these changes and connecting activists across borders to share experiences and explore ways of responding. Read the report, and connect with activists, researchers and organisations working on AI and civic space here: https://www.powertovoices.org/group/activist-algorithm?stream
