Digitalization and Transforming Power Domains
Chapter from the book:
Ağraş,
S.
(ed.)
2025.
Power Struggles and Political Behaviours in Organizations.
Synopsis
Digitalization is conceptualized not merely as a technical or economic transformation but as a paradigm shift that fundamentally restructures the formation and redistribution of power relations. In the digital age, information has emerged as the most flexible and strategic source of power, beyond violence and wealth. The aim of this study is to examine not only how digitalization reshapes organizational efficiency and economic exchange processes, but also how it transforms social power relations. The study addresses five key dimensions: the political impact of information in the digital age, algorithmic management, surveillance and power, social media, and internal communication with digital micropolitics. Digitalization renders the production and circulation of information an instrument of power, reshaping organizational and societal balances through archiving, classification, and algorithmic regulation. Algorithmic management may deepen control via constant monitoring and performance measurement, yet when designed with principles of transparency and participation, it can function as guidance and empowerment. Social media, through agenda-setting and visibility politics, produces new power asymmetries while simultaneously enabling marginalized actors to amplify their voices. Internal communication and digital micropolitics expose the invisible power lines within organizations. Digital tools simultaneously enhance participation and intensify surveillance mechanisms. For democratizing outcomes, principles of symmetrical communication, transparency, data minimalism, and accountability are indispensable. Ultimately, the study argues that the norms and rules by which technology is designed and operated are decisive in shaping fair and inclusive institutions in the digital age.
