Algorithmic Resistance: Communities Against Climate Disruption Empowered by Digital Tools
A special issue of Societies (ISSN 2075-4698).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 3
Special Issue Editor
Interests: digitalization; climate change adaptation; disaster risk management; social media data analysis for disaster risk; public discourse analysis on climate and environmental hazards; misinformation management during natural disasters; application of digital tools to analyse public interest and sentiment
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We invite interested scholars to contribute to the upcoming Special Issue titled “Algorithmic Resistance: Communities Against Climate Disruption Empowered by Digital Tools”.
In an era defined by the twin realities of rapid digitalization and accelerating climate disruption, the intersection of technology and environmental action has become a critical area of inquiry. Digital technologies are often framed in a dualistic manner as contributors to the climate crisis through their significant energy consumption and electronic waste but also as essential instruments for top-down solutions, from sophisticated climate modeling to global-scale satellite monitoring. However, this perspective often overlooks a powerful, emergent phenomenon, which is the grassroots adoption and adaptation of digital tools by communities for climate action.
This Special Issue focuses on what we term “algorithmic resistance”, i.e., the diverse ways in which communities are harnessing, subverting, and reimagining digital tools to challenge existing power structures, counter harmful narratives, and build local resilience against climate disruption. This bottom-up mobilization is vital. It moves beyond techno-solutionism to center the agency of those most affected by environmental injustice. From analyzing public discourse on social media during climate-related disasters to developing citizen-led environmental monitoring networks, these community-driven actions represent a crucial frontier in the fight for a just and sustainable future. Understanding these dynamics is essential for developing equitable climate adaptation and mitigation strategies that are genuinely empowering.
The primary aim of this Special Issue is to convene interdisciplinary research that critically examines the nexus of community-led climate action and digital technology. We seek to spotlight the innovative strategies, tactical media practices, and collaborative platforms that constitute algorithmic resistance in the context of the climate crisis. By focusing on the empowerment of communities, this Issue will explore how digital tools are leveraged not just for communication, but for data activism, political mobilization, and the co-creation of knowledge for climate resilience.
This Special Issue welcomes contributions from a wide range of fields, including environmental studies, sociology, media and communication, geography, science and technology studies, and disaster risk management. We are particularly interested in papers that offer empirical analysis, critical case studies, or conceptual advancements on this topic. This collection of work will contribute to a deeper understanding of how social and digital innovation can converge to foster more democratic, just, and effective responses to climate disruption.
Contributions to this Special Issue may include, but are not limited to, the following themes and questions:
- Community-led data and monitoring: How are grassroots organizations using low-cost sensors, drones, open data, and mapping platforms to monitor environmental change, challenge official data, and hold polluters accountable?
- Digital discourse and sentiment analysis: How do digital platforms (e.g., X, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, Facebook) shape public discourse, risk perception, and emotional responses during and after extreme weather events, such as wildfires, floods, or heatwaves?
- Countering misinformation: What strategies of algorithmic resistance are being deployed by communities and civil society organizations to identify, expose, and counter climate-related misinformation and disinformation campaigns?
- Digital tools for adaptation and resilience: In what ways are digital tools being used to enhance community-based climate change adaptation, improve early warning systems, and support disaster risk management from the bottom up?
- Activism and mobilization: How have climate justice movements successfully leveraged the logics of social media algorithms and digital platforms to organize protests, build transnational networks, and influence policy?
- Alternative digital infrastructures: What is the role of community-owned and cooperatively managed digital platforms, mesh networks, or data trusts in fostering climate justice and digital sovereignty?
- Ethics and equity of digital climate action: What are the power dynamics, ethical challenges, and digital divides associated with the use of digital tools for climate action? Who is included, and who is left behind?
- Participatory governance: How can digital technologies facilitate more inclusive and participatory forms of governance in the planning and implementation of climate policies and projects?
We invite empirical research articles, literature reviews, and conceptual papers addressing the topic of this Special Issue. All manuscripts must be submitted by 30th June 2026. Guidelines for authors and manuscript preparation are available at https://www.mdpi.com/journal/societies/instructions.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Dmitry Erokhin
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- algorithmic resistance
- climate justice
- community empowerment
- digital activism
- climate change adaptation
- disaster risk management
- citizen science
- social media analysis
- environmental misinformation
- participatory governance
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