Text

E-book Democratic Algorithms : Ethnography of a Public Recommender System

---

Penilaian

---

This­is­a­book­about­social­order.­More­specifically,­it­is­about­the­compli-cated relationship between machine learning algorithms and the formation of democratic order. And there are good reasons for such a book. Algorithms appear­to­become­a­defining­moment­in­the­digitized­societies­of­the­21st­century – and it seems that no domain of life is spared from the rational and seemingly­powerful­influence­of­the­computational­logic­of­algorithms.­At­least­this­is­how­the­“alluring­and­compelling­drama”­(Neyland­2016,­51)­is­being­told.­And­it­seems­true.­Filter­bubbles­threaten­democratic­discourse­and­opinion formation, algorithmic risk scores are being applied in law enforce-ment and judicial reasoning, and policy is increasingly based on algorithmic evidence.­Algorithms­specifically,­and­digital­technologies­in­general,­have­become deeply embedded in our social life, in contemporary societies, and in the­institutions­of­our­democracies­(Berg­and­Hofmann­2021).­This­fact­even­provoked the question, whether democracy will survive the rise of AI (Helbing et­al.­2017).­The focus of this book is related to these questions, but also inverts them: instead of asking how algorithms are changing our contemporary democracy, I­will­critically­examine­the­efforts­of­a­democratic­institution­to­make­algorithms­more­democratically­aligned.­Starting­in­early­2016,­I­joined­the­initiative of a public broadcaster in Germany that sought to develop a new website with a video-on-demand system. To accomplish this, a software devel-opment team was gathered to design and implement the new site, and which would “air” the same shows from the linear program – but in a non-linear way. Further,­because­this­website­was­intended­to­implement­the­latest­available­features, a recommender system was envisioned as a central element of the setup. This, however, created some challenges on the normative side. Public broadcasting entities in Germany have a legal obligation to adhere to the German constitution, which states that such broadcasters must distribute a broad range of information about political, social, and cultural events in Germany.­Recommender­systems­do­exactly­the­opposite­of­that;­they­select­information­pieces­based­on­similarity,­not­diversity­–­they­tend­to­create­filter­bubbles. The relation between democratic order and algorithmic systems should have­now­become­apparent.­However,­the­specific­challenge­–­not­only­for­this­specific­broadcaster­but­for­all­democratic­institutions­–­is:­can­we­build­democratic algorithms? Can we translate our central shared values, beliefs, and norms into machine learning systems and, if so, how? Part of the answer is that we have to go beyond a technical understanding of algorithms, but without losing the technical systems out of sight in the process. Instead, I argue that algorithmic systems are complex socio-technical systems in which the algorithm, as an entity, is enacted. This enactment is a symmetrical process, in which the technical aspects must aligned with their surrounding practices­and­expectations­–­and­vice­versa.­Further,­algorithmic­systems­are­enacted­in­multiple­ways­with­different­translations­and­outcomes.­In­the­specific­case­that­I­discuss­here,­the­recommender­system­was­enacted­in­three­different­ways­to­form­different­collectives:­a­disciplinary­enactment­of­the algorithm as technical object, an institutional enactment of the algorithm as­organizational­entity,­and­a­political­enactment­of­the­algorithm­as­a­normative and legal challenge. Each of these enactments tried to shape the algorithm­in­its­own­way,­enabling­or­hindering­specific­implementations.­The­challenge for the actual implementation of the algorithm was to align these three­different­enactments­into­a­broader­socio-technical­system.­The­result­complicates the notion of the algorithm, because the boundaries of its enact-ment become a political question as well.

---

Ketersediaan

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

-

No. Panggil

518.1 POE d

Penerbit

Germany : meson press., 2024

Deskripsi Fisik

217 hlm

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

9783957962256

Klasifikasi

518.1

Tipe Isi

text

Tipe Media

computer

Tipe Pembawa

online resource

Edisi

-

Subjek

Algorithms

Info Detail Spesifik

-

Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

-

Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

Komentar

---

Anda harus masuk sebelum memberikan komentar