Understanding Algorithms
This week I explored algorithms. I have referenced frustration or judgment related to social media algorithms frequently but I honestly had very little knowledge as to what it really was and how they are created.
They found that 38% predicted that the positive impacts of algorithms will outweigh negatives, while 37% said negatives will outweigh positives, and 25% said the overall impact of algorithms will be about 50-50, positive-negative.
I would have to say I agree with the respondents that said algorithms will be 50-50 positive and negative. About five years later The Pew Research Center continued to explore the mixed views about social media companies use of algorithms. A major negative impact I think algorithms have on us is how it limits the new and different ideas the algorithm shows us. For example, the goal of a social media company is to keep us on an application for as long as possible. In order to keep us on the application they learn what they can about us to catch our attention. They collect data on what we’re watching, clicking, liking, commenting, sharing, buying, where we live, and more. Although this might not be concerning to someone like me at first, it does concern me that I would be exposed to only the topics I care most about. I enjoy learning the multiple sides to any issue. I think it is dangerous to only be exposed to news and politics that you already believe in and not be exposed to ideas that differ your own. I think this aspect of algorithms will continue to divide people and will not lead to people coming together.
In my current first grade classroom I don't see algorithms coming up often. However, in general I think technology teachers and older classroom homeroom teachers should be teaching students about bias's in regards to fact finding on social media and the internet. When students are scrolling through their social media I believe it is important they know they are being shown a personalized content feed based off accounts they interact with most and their past internet behavior. Due to those facts, they might not be seeing the whole picture of an issue on their personal feed. I have found myself teaching that to older family members who are not as aware of the ins and outs of social media. I enjoyed reading about potential lessons for high school aged students called "Do Algorithms Influence Our Lives and Our Democracy?" I think I will start discussing online safety with my students as we begin our research unit in writing.
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I would agree that first graders would be too little to talk to about bias in algorithms but even introducing them the concept of algorithms which they encounter in daily life (i.e., following a set of instructions to solve a problem) will help set the stage for them to become media literate as they get older.
ReplyDeleteHi Brittany,
ReplyDeleteI am also concerned with the fact that algorithms tend to filter out different perspectives. On my feed, I do see mainly posts that are associated with the same political viewpoints and perspectives as my own. The feed only generates content that exists in a filter bubble. People can become naive to any another worldview if only shown the same content. I also read that a lot of material that is promoted by the algorithms is extreme or often misinformation. If people are not aware this can lead to many issues within our society.
Hi Brittany, I agree with you about wanting to learn more about other perspectives. I think that it is super important to know both sides in order to form an opinion/idea about different topics. I really liked comparing algorithms to a recipe, I also wasn't fully aware of what they are/how they work. Knowing that many of the things we use (search engines, GPS, email) would not be what they are without algorithms makes it easier to have a positive outlook on them, even if they can be frustrating at times.
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