Algorithms has been derived and used in mathematics and computer science. The word is derived from the name of the ninth century mathematician Al Khwarizmi. An algorithm is an unambiguous specification of how to solve a large amount of problems. The functions of algorithm are many such as performing calculations, data processing, automated reasoning and other tasks. There has been an increase in the way in which algorithms are used to target certain audiences. Algorithms are effective when a large number of data has been used to understand the patterns. Algorithm is nothing but a set of instructions that should be followed precisely. There is an article written on how ‘Facebook reveals news feed experiment to control emotions.’
The power of algorithms can be dangerous to the extent that it could possibly be able to control lives. The way in which it is able to control lives is presenting social media and the internet. It is able to do so by targeting audience by sorting in order the searches the audience enter in the websites and through filter. In this way they are able to manipulate audiences. Algorithms in effect has the power to control what consumers see on a daily basis; what they discover, what they encounter and what they hear. One of the most renounced social media platforms, ‘Facebook’ has been known target audiences by the use of algorithm. Algorithm can be dangerous as it has the power to bring forth certain ideas or news to our attention. On the other hand, it is able to conceal and draws our gazes away from that we ought to have been paying attention to. The impact is that it has the ability to shape the way we see. It has the power to define what is apparent to us (Beer, 2017).
As the Algorithms have the ability to control what is presented to the consumer. They are able to make decisions as to what they see and provides recommendations on what they should see. Although, these processes may seem inconsequential but that is not the case. One of the main factors of media is that it makes certain things apparent to audiences. Facebook is known to do this very well. There are many pros and cons of algorithms. The pros of algorithms are that they enable humans to make rational decisions based on the evidences that are presented to them. It also gives people the opportunity.
On January 11th, 2017, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would soon be changing the News Feed algorithm so that it is able to prioritise contents from separate categories – “friends, family and groups.” The new algorithm enables active interactions to occur such as being able to comment and share over likes and click-throughs which are considered to be passive interactions. The idea behind this is so that the actions that required the most amount of effort on the part of the user and deemed to be of a higher quality. Therefore, it would be considered as more meaningful. This is more beneficial to the algorithms rather than passively scrolling through the News Feed and ‘liking’ a post every now and then and this ruling also applies to commenting on a post.
The power that algorithms hold is based on the fact that they carry some form of agentic power. Neyland, Mollers and Williamson argue that it is easy to get carried away with the idea that algorithms have the ability to take over decision-making processes; instead that are highlighting the fact that it is much more complex interweaving types of agency. Bolin and Schwarz (2015) argue that algorithmic outcomes, most of the times are ‘translated back’ into ‘traditional’ social parameters. There is a need to explore how algorithms are actually able to make choices or how they are able to provide information that is able to inform and shapes choices. But the humans are the agents who design the algorithms, and in this way the algorithms work in a way in which they are directed at specific individuals. In this way they are able to process and are able to have a specific result or an outcome. This is only able to occur if the outcomes are already modelled into the algorithmic systems (Mackenzie, 2006).
Taking into considerations that algorithms are seen to be the focus point of the decision-making parts of the code. The algorithms are built through organisational structures and these shape decisions are then turned into the reasons why people make certain choices online. One of the major roles and influences of algorithms is that is able to judge people based on how they present themselves on social media. Algorithms are based on a system that are built into structures that are able to, in some extent, predict our choices and decisions. These decisions are then made into a great part of people’s lives.
The power of algorithm with regards to sorting, ordering and predictions can only occur if there is a large amount of data which is maintained efficiently. Algorithms have the ability to shape what the audience encounter on a regular basis. The predictions of the algorithms feed into people’s lives, forming what they know, and also understanding the personality and the character of each individual, also what they discover and what they experience of a regular basis on social media. The power of algorithms with regards to this aspect is that it is able to make choices for individuals, classify, sort and to be able to rank for the individual. A great example of this is the search engine. To some extent, it has the power to make visible what matters and that which does not matter it will not be visible to the audience. The power of algorithms is that it just not only exists in code but it also exists in social consciousness. It usually stands for something else which, at times, is not necessary the code itself. The power of algorithms is that it is not always apparent what the code turning and what codes are being created to influence choices.
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Bibliography
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Bucher, T. (2012) ‘Want to be on the top? Algorithmic power and the threat of invisibility on Facebook’, New Media & Society, 14(7), pp. 1164–1180. doi: 10.1177/1461444812440159.
David Beer (2017) The social power of algorithms, Information, Communication & Society, 20:1, 1-13, DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2016.1216147
Olhede SC, Wolfe PJ.2018 The growing ubiquity of algorithms in society: implications, impacts and innovations. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A376:20170364. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2017.0364
Tien, S. (2018). How the Facebook Algorithm Works and How to Make it Work for You. Available: https://blog.hootsuite.com/facebook-algorithm/. Last accessed 12th April 2019
Tranberg, P. (2017). Experts On The Pros & Cons of Algorithms. Available: https://dataethics.eu/prosconsai/. Last accessed 13th April 2019.
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