Algorithmic Bias and Corporate Influence: How Media Platforms Shape Business Visibility and Consumer Perception

Abstract

This study investigated how algorithmic bias and corporate influence shape business visibility and consumer perception in Akwa Ibom State. Specifically, the study sought to examine the effect of algorithmic bias on business visibility, investigate the influence of corporate power on business visibility, and assess how algorithmic bias shapes consumer perception of businesses. The research was anchored on the Agenda-Setting Theory of McCombs and Shaw (1972) and McLuhan’s Technological Determinism Theory (1964), which together explain how algorithmic systems and corporate actors determine what is prioritised in digital communication and how consumers respond to such visibility. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, using surveys administered to 292 SME owners and managers across Uyo, Eket and Ikot Ekpene, complemented with semi-structured interviews with SME owners and consumers. Quantitative data were analysed with descriptive statistics, correlation and regression, while qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. Findings revealed that 75 per cent of SMEs acknowledged algorithmic bias as a major determinant of visibility, with regression results confirming its strong predictive effect; 80 per cent of respondents believed corporate power gives larger firms an undue advantage in securing visibility; and 75 per cent of participants agreed that algorithmic bias significantly shapes consumer perception, often making frequent exposure a proxy for credibility. The study concluded that algorithmic bias and corporate influence jointly disadvantage smaller enterprises while amplifying the dominance of resource-endowed firms, thereby reinforcing inequalities in digital business communication and shaping consumer judgments beyond product quality