New Media & Society, published online 18/2/2018 (https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818757204)
In this article, I investigate internet governance in practice by focusing on search engines, Google in particular. Building on STS‐grounded internet governance research, I ask how different stakeholders interpret governing by algorithms, the governing of algorithms, and the limits of various governing modes when considering local specificities. To answer these questions, I conducted 18 qualitative interviews with key experts involved in search engine governance from four distinct societal domains: policy, law, civil society and the IT sector (from Austria and/ or the European level). In this analysis, I show that perceptions of search engine governance are shaped in specific cultural contexts, but also within particular social groups and their situated knowledges. I further elaborate how joint efforts are imagined as a means to challenge powerful search engines and their governing abilities cutting through different societal arenas and areas of expertise. Finally, I discuss implications of this analysis regarding the complex relationship between global technology and local cultures.