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2: Student Perceptions and Concerns

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    98035

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    Everyone who has accessed the internet has experienced the personalizing actions of algorithms, whether they realize it or not. These invisible lines of code can track our interactions, trying to game our consumer habits and political leanings to determine what ads, news stories and information we see. Companies, using algorithms like this, work nonstop to amass behavioral data on every aspect of our lives that they can combine, use, and sell.63 As tracking practices have become more common and advanced, it has become urgent to understand how these computer programs work and have widespread impact. How do students understand the hidden filters that influence what they see and learn, and shape what they think and who they are?

    In this section of the report, we present empirical data that explores college students’ awareness and perceptions of algorithm-driven platforms, and what actions they take, if any, to safeguard their privacy.64 Qualitative data were collected from 16 student focus groups with 103 college sophomores, juniors, and seniors, and from telephone interviews with 37 faculty members at eight U.S. colleges and universities.

    The findings are presented as four takeaways that detail and discuss how students experience algorithms — their individual perceptions, experiences, concerns, and opinions as well as consensus about these things among participants. These takeaways serve as the basis for actionable recommendations later in this report to guide stakeholders considering possibilities for preparing students for the future.

    References

    1. Bennett Cyphers (2 December 2019), “Beyond the one-way mirror: A deep dive into the technology of corporate surveillance,” Electronic Frontier Foundation, https://www.eff.org/wp/behind-the-one-way-mirror
    2. For another view of how youth think about digital privacy, see Helen Creswick, Liz Dowthwaite, Ansgar Koene, Elvira Perez Vallejos, Virginia Portillo, Monica Cano and Christopher Woodard (2019), “‘...they don’t really listen to people’: Young people’s concerns and recommendations for improving online experiences.” Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society 17(2), 167-182, DOI: doi.org/10.1108/ JICES-11-2018-0090

    Contributors and Attributions

     

    This page titled 2: Student Perceptions and Concerns is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Alison J. Head, Barbara Fister, & Margy MacMillan.