10.3: Coded Inequalities - Assessment
- Page ID
- 248575
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Introduction
It can be hard to strike a balance with digital technologies these days: we’re aware how rapidly such innovations and inventions have altered contemporary life, and many of us know, too, that such technologies have some issues. Like: yes, social media sites may be damaging for our mental health and productivity; yes, our privacy is ever-more encroached upon; yes, algorithms wield massive influence in our day-to-day lives… but the solution can’t be to just smash all the tech and burn up our digital world in one great, big bonfire.
If destruction isn’t the answer, reform is. And much of that reform might be outside our hands, the responsibility of government and law and corporations and the like. But each and every one of us can be involved in a more immediate, day-to-day reform, where we strive to develop a more critical, conscientious relationship with the digital technologies we engage with. Which is exactly what Butler, Sargent, and Smith advocate for in the closing lines of the chapter: “our aim is to increase awareness and understanding of the information environments that we inhabit on a daily basis, so that we can take advantage of the benefits they offer and use them more effectively.”
Our assessment for the week looks to improve our understanding of the power, importance, and potential of algorithms by asking each of us to choose a technology we use every day and critically consider some of its algorithmic functions.
Assessment
- Step One: Choose a Topic
- Perhaps you want to look at a social media app you frequent, or a platform you use often. Maybe you want to look at a particular company (Google, Meta, etc.) or technology (like, say, iPhone). Please share what topic you will be focusing on, as well as any ways in which you feel as though you’ve ‘seen’ the algorithm at work in past experiences
- Step Two: Investigate
- Use the search engine of your choice to learn more about your chosen topic’s use of algorithmic technology. How does your chosen app/device/company engage with algorithms? Has any reporting ever discovered any algorithmic malpractice? Do any of the algorithmic practices send alarm bells to you, even if they haven’t been publicly criticized?
- This process will require you to be a critical internet user! Make sure you are properly evaluating your sources, and engaging with respected voices as you research
- Step Three: Share
- What did you learn about your chosen topic’s use of algorithmic technology? How might this newfound information change your engagement with the app/device/company?