Códigos da cultura: um estudo sobre habitus e programação algorítmica na plataforma Netflix

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the algorithmic mediation of the Netflix platform from the perspective of Pierre Bourdieu's sociology, focusing on the structuring of taste and social reproduction in the digital environment. The general objective is to analyze how the technical habitus and dispositions of software engineers and programmers influence the choice architecture and content hierarchy on the platform. Methodologically, the research is characterized as an exploratory qualitative study using digital traces. Data were collected and analyzed from the Netflix Technology Blog, professional profiles on LinkedIn, and job descriptions to map the cultural and institutional capitals of the agents who produce algorithmic systems. The results indicate that the architects of these systems form a homogeneous technical elite whose academic trajectories at prestigious universities consolidate a habitus driven by "dataism" and market efficiency. It is concluded that algorithmic architecture is not a neutral mechanism, but a tool of symbolic violence that transforms economic imperatives into aesthetic choices, promoting the phenomenon over taste. This process results in the crystallization of consumption bubbles that prioritize user retention and scalability over cultural diversity, reaffirming the role of platforms as new agents of social distinction in contemporary society.