When I first hear the term “algorithms”, my first thoughts are how my phone can listen to my conversations and even read my mind. There have been multiple instances in my life where I am talking with a friend about a certain product, destination, celebrity, etc. and then that topic appears on my social media through ads or recommended “posts I may like”.
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It is no secret that this is not purely coincidental and I was interested in learning more. I decided to start with an article by Caitlin Dewey titled, “98 Personal Data Points That Facebook Uses To Target Ads To You” from the Washington Post. When the first sentence ended with “it seems someone has possibly read your brain” (Dewey, 2021), I knew that this article was a good starting place for me! I have been particularly interested in Facebook’s targeted advertising because I am not very active on Facebook. I have not updated my profile, posted statuses, or even added new friends in many years. Unlike other social media where I am actively posting, I use Facebook more passively to see what old friends are up to and to mindlessly scroll. Because of this, I am constantly surprised by their targeted ads and how spot on they are to my current interests and life stages. One thing that I learned in this article that took my by surprise was finding out about Facebook’s ability to track your browsing history. Dewey wrote, “While you’re logged onto Facebook, for instance, the network can see virtually every other website you visit” (Dewey, 2021). This was something that I did not expect to learn. While I do not use Facebook daily, the app is always logged in on my phone. I was shocked to see that it has the ability to see what sites I am going to on my phone’s browser. Now that I see this, I am not surprised at all that the targeted ads have changed and evolved with me through my years of not being active on Facebook. I learned in this article that while there is a way to turn off the targeted ads, there is no way to stop Facebook from tracking you unless you simply stop using it.
The second source that I went to in order to learn more about algorithms was an article published on Vox by Sean Illing. This article was titled, “How Algorithms Are Controlling Your Life- And Why You Should Probably Pay Closer Attention”. This article caught my attention because I was curious about how many decisions of mine are truly influenced by the content on my phone. While I am not a huge shopper, I have seen things online that I am influenced to purchase. I wonder how many of those products were targeted ads and what else my data is changing in my life. One quote that I found particularly interesting was “you can collect private data on people without their permission and sell it to advertisers. We’re turning people into products, and they don’t even realize it” (Illing, 2018). As an educator, this line hit me hard. I want to make sure that my students realize that what they do online matters. This applies to their digital footprint, but also their personal data. It is important to educate students on how to turn off website tracking if and when applicable, and what it means for websites to sell your data. All personal information should not just be given freely to any website that asks for it. It is our job to educate children on what information they should keep private, why their data matters, and what popups, ads, and links to click on versus avoid.
The last source that I went to was a YouTube video titled “How YouTube’s Algorithms Can Fool You” posted by Above the Noise. This caught my eye because so many of my students spend hours of their after-school free time watching YouTube and creating videos to post on YouTube. As a teacher, I was curious to know more about YouTube’s algorithms, and how my students are being effected by it. I learned from this that YouTube is creating suggested content to keep you on and watching, and keeping their advertising dollars coming (Above The Noise, 2019). This is undoubtedly the same model that Tiktok uses to keep many people, myself included, mindlessly scrolling for way longer than planned. Another thing that stuck out to me in this video was the idea that YouTube is focused on your time spent watching, and not the truth of their content being shown (Above The Noise, 2019). That is a really important thing for students to understand. It is one thing to teach students that not everything they learn online is true, but it is more important to teach them that just because they see things posted over and over from different sources online, that does not make it true either. Algorithms are not all bad, they can help you to learn new skills, find new hobbies, and even meet new friends. That being said, it is important to learn about how they work and what their goals are in order to keep yourself safe online.
References:
Above The Noise. (2019, June 19). How YouTube’s algorithms can fool you [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuFKYSSZtpo
Dewey, C. (2021, October 26). 98 personal data points that Facebook uses to target ads to you. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/08/19/98-personal-data-points-that-facebook-uses-to-target-ads-to-you/
Illing, S. (2018, October 1). Algorithms are controlling your life. Vox. https://www.vox.com/technology/2018/10/1/17882340/how-algorithms-control-your-life-hannah-fry
The line you cited about turning people into products was one that really stuck with me-it does really speak to the potential pitfalls of a life online if we don't understand how our clicks and shares and likes are being used to steer us in certain directions.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your different connections to the classroom-going through these articles and reading posts like yours has above all convinced me that these aspects of contemporary life are ones that I feel schools should make more explicit time for within their walls. Since it seems like even more of our kids' lives will be spent online as time moves forward, and the power of algorithms and media companies only seems to be growing, giving students the knowledge and awareness of how their choices online can impact them seems like the most responsible choice for schools (and for parents as well).
I did like your note at the end as well-I feel one thing I neglected in my own post was that there is some positive potential in algorithms, and that it really comes down to responsible use and understanding.
I do love the Above the Noise series. They discuss important issues in a way that is interesting to students. Awareness is the first step to making changes that can help young people protect their privacy and data.
ReplyDeleteMaddie, it’s crazy to me that one cannot even opt out of the tracking on Facebook. With nearly 3 million users, Facebook is holds so much information. It’s mind-blowing. Algorithms really relies on people giving up their privacy to curate suggestions/advertisements for that person. I agree that algorithms are useful, as who doesn’t want their TikTok feed to be filled with videos they will enjoy. But it’s also important to think about what data these companies are compiling. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteHi, Madeline Fantastic Post! I think I have a love-hate relationship with algorithms because, looking back, I think they can be useful in that they allow things to be forgotten and still appear on my timeline or fyp. However, this week's research on the privacy module let me realize that the reason some items surface that I "forgot about" is actually due to privacy invasion—my phone listening in on my chats or seeing what searches I've done. I really appreciate how you went into detail about the YouTube recommended material that essentially forces viewers to keep watching. Excellently said!
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