Algorithmic Visual Hybridity in Tunisia in the Age of Social Media and Artificial Intelligence

Digital globalization is transforming the production, circulation, and interpretation of visual representations. Social media platforms accelerate the global diffusion of visual cultures, while text-to-image generative artificial intelligence (AI) introduces new forms of mediation between human intention, algorithms, and visual representation. In Tunisia, these developments raise important questions about Image Design's capacity to preserve culturally situated visual identities in increasingly standardized and algorithmically biased digital environments. This study adopts a theoretical and methodological approach, drawing on the literature on cultural globalization, visual culture, platformization, and AI bias to examine the transformation of Tunisian visual culture. Based on a critical review of the literature, it develops an analytical framework integrating semiotic analysis, visual content analysis, and prompt-based experimentation with text-to-image generative AI systems. The proposed framework enables the analysis of visual standardization, geo-cultural biases embedded in AI-generated imagery, and the continuing role of human creative intervention in post-production. It also introduces the concept of algorithmic visual hybridity as a conceptual tool for understanding the interaction between local visual identities and AI-generated representations. The study contributes to critical scholarship in Image Design and highlights the importance of integrating critical AI literacy into the education and training of future designers.