Agency in social media platforms: the role of capitals and literacies under algorithmic environments

This article examines how users develop adaptive forms of agency within algorithmically driven social media platforms. Building on the literature on digital capital and digital literacies, it proposes an integrated framework to analyse how resources and forms of awareness combine in shaping user behavior in platformized environments. The study is based on a web-based survey conducted in two Italian regions with contrasting socio-economic profiles. A confirmatory analytical strategy using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) assesses the contribution of platform literacy, digital capital, and algorithmic literacy to adaptive platform agency. The findings show that agency does not result from the mere accumulation of access or technical skills, but emerges from a situated configuration of resources. Platform literacy – understood as practical familiarity with platform-specific contexts, implicit norms, and visibility dynamics – emerges as the strongest predictor, while digital capital and algorithmic literacy play enabling roles. Overall, the study provides an empirically grounded account of agency in algorithmic environments, highlighting its adaptive, relational, and bounded character within structurally mediated platform settings.