From surveillance to taste-making: exploring the influence of algorithmic agency on consumer experiences in casual leisure

This study explores algorithms as nonhuman entities with agency that influence consumer experiences within casual leisure, focusing on Dazhong Dianping and Xiaohongshu, popular lifestyle platforms in Mainland China. By employing actor-network theory, it examines how searching for dining-out establishments through these platforms creates a network of intertwining interests and operations involving both human and nonhuman actors. Key actors in this network include consumers, digital platforms (driven by algorithms), and dining-out establishments, all interconnected by aligned commercial goals. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 26 Chinese Gen Z individuals residing in Shanghai, the study investigates how their consumer patterns involve constant interaction with recommender algorithms, which continuously monitor users’ online behavior to provide personalized content and enhance dining-out experiences. Furthermore, the inseparability from these platforms redefines the experience of taste, as dining-out establishments become commoditized into high- or low-value objects based on their online ratings.