Volume 4, 2026 – Issue 2
From Representation to Algorithmic Identity: Moroccan Influencers and the Politics of Digital Visibility
Kenza Saadani Hassani 
1
Faculty of Letters & Human Sciences, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco
Corresponding author: kenzasaadani@yahoo.fr
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21728003
Abstract
This article examines how algorithmic systems and social media platforms participate in the construction of “plastic identity” within Moroccan digital culture. Drawing on theories of representation, performativity, and the attention economy, the study investigates how influencers negotiate visibility, legitimacy, and audience engagement through technologically mediated self-performances. Using a qualitative content analysis of Instagram and TikTok content produced by three high-profile Moroccan influencers, the study explores the relationship between digital amplification, online recognition, and identity formation. The findings suggest that social media platforms increasingly function as systems of validation that reshape identity according to the logics of engagement, recognition, and platform governance. The article argues that “plastic identity” emerges as a flexible and performative mode of selfhood continuously reconstructed through audience interaction and technological mediation. By focusing on Moroccan digital spaces, the study contributes to broader debates on digital capitalism, identity construction, and contemporary forms of cultural production in platform-driven societies.
Keywords: plastic identity, algorithmic culture, attention economy, digital identity formation, social media influencers
Published
2026/06/30
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Section
Research Papers
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Saadani Hassani, K. (2026). From representation to algorithmic identity: Moroccan influencers and the politics of digital visibility. The International Journal of Technology, Innovation, and Education, 4(2), 424–447. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21728003
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Saadani Hassani, Kenza. 2026. “From Representation to Algorithmic Identity: Moroccan Influencers and the Politics of Digital Visibility.” The International Journal of Technology, Innovation, and Education 4 (2): 424–47. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21728003.
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Saadani Hassani, Kenza. “From Representation to Algorithmic Identity: Moroccan Influencers and the Politics of Digital Visibility.” The International Journal of Technology, Innovation, and Education, vol. 4, no. 2, July 2026, pp. 424–47, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21728003.
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[1]
K. Saadani Hassani, “From representation to algorithmic identity: Moroccan influencers and the politics of digital visibility,” The International Journal of Technology, Innovation, and Education, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 424–447, Jul. 2026, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.21728003.
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Saadani Hassani, K. (2026) “From representation to algorithmic identity: Moroccan influencers and the politics of digital visibility,” The International Journal of Technology, Innovation, and Education, 4(2), pp. 424–447. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21728003.
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Saadani Hassani K. From representation to algorithmic identity: Moroccan influencers and the politics of digital visibility. The International Journal of Technology, Innovation, and Education [Internet]. 2026 July 30;4(2):424–47. Available from: https://ijtie.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/N40268.pdf
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Saadani Hassani, K. (2026). From representation to algorithmic identity: Moroccan influencers and the politics of digital visibility. The International Journal of Technology, Innovation, and Education, 4(2), 424–447. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21728003
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About the authors
- Kenza Saadani Hassani is a university professor in the Department of English, specializing in linguistics with a growing research interest in the intersections of language, culture, and technology. Her academic work spans two complementary areas: the pedagogy of higher education, where she has explored innovative methods of teaching and approaches to improving learning outcomes at the tertiary level, and cultural studies, which has increasingly become a central focus of her scholarly trajectory.
kenzasaadani@yahoo.fr
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