The readings for today offer different ways of thinking about what an “algorithm” means to different groups in society. In different ways, the readings all ask that we remember that algorithms are shaped by social, cultural, political, and economic values and practices just as they, in turn, shape these practices. This exercise asks you to do some detective work and try and figure out how the recommendation algorithm on the social media app that you use the most responds to your behavior. Whether it is Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, or Facebook, your “feed” is shaped by the decisions you make about what content to interact with and how. Take 5-6 minutes and scroll through the recommendations and try and categorize the content you see. What does the app “think” you want to see? What do you think it’s responding to? Like 10-12 things that you would *not* normally engage with. Does your feed change immediately?
