1. The place of recommendation engines in the digital society

When we speak of – systems, or even – recommendation engines, the notions of information systems, digital devices, statistical analysis of reviews, and socionumeric networks all come together in the collective imagination. We imagine a more or less abstract entity capable of judging the items in a catalog, filtering them and autonomously prescribing a reduced quantity to the user, focusing on those most likely to resonate with the user's needs, desires or expectations.

To better understand the typology of recommendation systems and the methods used to make them operational, it's useful to take a look back at what was the premise of recommendation, and is still one of its preferred materials: criticism.

In modern history, particularly since the Renaissance, it has been...