社会学评论. 2026, 14(1): 32-57.
This study uses an e-commerce platform as a case study to develop an analytical framework for algorithmic empowerment. It examines the internal logic of algorithmic iteration on short-video platforms and the evolving mechanisms through which these algorithms empower the digital labor of rural women from ethnic regions in Southwest China engaged in live-streaming e-commerce. The
findings reveal that algorithmic iteration is not merely a trade-off between com⁃
mercial and social values, nor is it solely driven by profit maximization. Instead, it
represents a stage-specific strategic adjustment by the platform following a reversal
in its dependency relationship with users, influenced jointly by environmental,
organizational, and technological factors. During the scale-expansion phase,
platform algorithms aligned with the characteristics of rural women, fostering
effective internal-external interactions and generating notable empowerment effects.
However, in the consolidation phase, rising algorithmic thresholds limited women’
s adaptability due to insufficient resources and capabilities, leading to diminishing
empowerment effects. Nevertheless, some individuals, supported by families,
communities, and government initiatives, successfully resisted algorithmic
“discipline”and achieved sustained empowerment. The study argues that em⁃
powerment theory should move beyond the subject-object binary and shift towards
a framework emphasizing synergy among multiple actors.
