ALGORITHMIC TARGETING AND SOCIAL STRATIFICATION IN VIETNAM: SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING AS ALGORITHMIC SOCIAL SORTING

Platform capitalism has turned social media advertising into algorithmic targeting, reshaping how social difference is made visible in everyday digital life. This paper examines targeted advertising in Vietnam as a sociotechnical mechanism of algorithmic social sorting—a routine classification process through which platforms distribute visibility, steer attention, and normalise unequal life chances. Bridging research on platform society and algorithmic governance with sociological theories of stratification and visual sociology, the study treats advertisements not only as market messages but as a visual regime that organises ‘who sees what’ and ‘which futures appear plausible’ for different users. Methodologically, the research combines digital ethnography and visual analysis of sponsored ads collected over seven days from multiple research accounts on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, each designed to approximate a distinct social persona. Findings show strong alignment between accounts’ behavioural signals and the sectoral and stylistic profiles of ads delivered, indicating feedback loops among user activity, algorithmic profiling, and ad visibility. Across personas, ad imagery constructs differentiated aspirational horizons, translating structural inequality into individualised desire. The paper argues that personalisation functions as an ordinary infrastructure for reproducing hierarchy in Vietnam’s digital context.