(Dis)Obedience in digital societies : perspectives on the power of algorithms and data Algorithms are not to be regarded as a technical structure but as a social phenomenon they embed themselves currently still very subtle into our political and social system. Algorithms shape human behavior on various levels: they influence not only the aesthetic reception of the world but also the well being and social interaction of their users. They act and intervene in a political and social context. As algorithms influence individual behavior in these social and political situations their power should be the subject of critical discourse or even lead to active disobedience and to the need for appropriate tools and methods which can be used to break the algorithmic power