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13.3: Reading Algorithms - Assessment

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    316036
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    Reading Algorithms | Assessment | Artifacts Have Politics

    Sasha Costanza-Chock’s article, “Design Justice, A.I., and Escape from the Matrix of Domination,” begins with a personal anecdote which, she notes, “provide[s] a small but concrete example from my own daily lived experience of how larger systems—norms, values, assumptions—are encoded in and reproduced through the design of sociotechnical data-driven systems” (3). Calling on the language of media studies heavyweight Langdon Winner, Costanza-Chock reminds us that “artifacts have politics” (3)—the media we interact with, the tech we utilize, are not simply ‘tools’ or ‘idle entertainment,’ but rather constitutive: they serve to mold, adapt, alter, and shape us in particular ways.

    For our discussion board this week, I’d like you to reflect a bit on the idea of “artifacts with politics” by examining your own engagements with technology. Our core question is: in what ways, if any, do technologies serve to ‘curate’ a particular kind of response? Perhaps you want to look into the ways in which an app like TikTok privileges a kind of narcissistic response. Maybe you want to think a bit about how Facebook serves as a cultural echo chamber (reinforcing perspectives and ideas we agree with, rather than offering diverse perspectives). Maybe you want to think about what kinds of narratives and stories are most common in video games. Where you go and what you choose to look into is up to you, but no matter your chosen subject, the goal is to think about how the technology (or media) privileges particular perspectives, actions, and ways of thinking, and identify what some of those privileges are. Additionally: in what ways might a perspective like intersectionality and/or the matrix of domination allow you to reevaluate these experiences, and commit to new ways of interacting, engaging, and making sense of the technologies you use on a day-to-day basis?

    Your post should be at least 250 words and should contain explicit mention of the 'artifact' you chose to investigate.


    This page titled 13.3: Reading Algorithms - Assessment is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by J. F. Lindsay.