I’m flattered when anyone thinks they know me well enough to
recommend something. It tells me that
someone has considered my interests, and thinks that there’s something out
there that I will enjoy. Who doesn’t
want an enjoyable distraction delivered to them without having to search for
it? What if it’s being delivered by an
algorithm? Is this similar to human
behavior? How useful is it? Jones and Hafner’s exploration of how
technology collects, organizes, and delivers data in (hopefully) useful
information caused me to reflect on all of the media that’s being fed to me
daily.
I think I’ve got a better-than-average control of my digital
diet, but there is some spam that gets in.
What’s interesting is that it’s mostly of my own doing. The authors explain several different types
of algorithms (29). I don’t have much
trouble with social algorithms, which trawl social media for my supposed
interests. I certainly see the ads that pop up in my Facebook
feed, and I’m amused at the sudden appearance of ads for Adobe software that I
happen to have just started using and seeking tutorials on. Maybe some of it is getting through subconsciously,
but I’m too cynical to click on practically any of these ads. They seem like noise to me.
In this way, I’m using what Jones and Hafner refer to as a
mental algorithm (30), letting only the data I consider relevant to filter
through. The rest really does get
treated like background noise. But I’ve
also set up my own personalized algorithms to aid my sense of digital
discovery. I love the podcast app on my
smartphone. I have a library of podcast feeds
that I can refresh at my leisure and instantly have all of the latest episodes.
I tend to collect podcasts by stumbling across one episode,
deciding I enjoy it, and hitting “Subscribe.”
It’s simple to press that button.
But it can turn out to be kind of a commitment. What if I don’t enjoy subsequent episodes
quite as much? What if the feed updates
too frequently for me to keep up with the latest episodes? Or maybe I’ve just got so many feeds updating
that I fall behind on some. Does that
mean I don’t enjoy them enough to keep?
Is this the kind of anxiety that replaces the daily fight for survival
of most people in human history?
Yeah, probably.
I find I just have to occasionally cull my podcast feeds. This is another use of mental algorithms on
my part. It’s not too different from
what we do in our non-digital lives. We
even sort through personal relationships and decide whether to keep or discard
them. What’s different is where the recommendations
are coming from, and how they’re being made.
It’s very easy for me to press a button and give an algorithm the power
to push data to me. Even though I can
end that by just as easily pressing a button, it’s not that easy in practice. My mental algorithm needs a lot of experience
to decide when data that I chose to receive stops being useful information. Hitting “Unsubscribe” isn’t quite like saying
goodbye to a friend, but it is taking action to put an end to something. Then again, I can always hit “Subscribe”
again.
Jones, Rodney H.,
and Christoph A. Hafner. Understanding
Digital Literacies: A Practical Introduction. London: Routledge, 2012.
I appreciate knowing that others too feel somewhat overwhelmed by feeling like they are falling behind or have to keep up with incoming information. (Even though it is a valid concern, I do not think it is a fair comparison to "daily fight for survival" though but, I do see your point.) Along with the many advancements in technology and the additional affordances and constraints that go along with it all, it is still ahem...only information, and not sustenance. Not being able to keep up and take it all in does bother me some and just as a means of keeping perspective, I go on a technology fast for a couple of days every once in a while. Some would probably consider this an odd thing to do but it really does seem to help "quiet" my spirit (?) or at least, take the edge off and usually if I miss out on something or don't respond in time or what-not, no real damage is done. (I do not think I will try this during this semester though as I feel it is imperative to keep up.) I am paying a lot more attention than I used to as to what and how I filter incoming data.
ReplyDeleteI too have a problem letting go of things. I may not collect pod casts as you do, but I do collect web pages that I like to go to, to watch anime, or read manga, listen to music, read the news, practice sign language and so much more. I bookmark many pages and keep tabs open for the more constantly used ones. I mention this specifically because I do not filter out the data that much. I am constantly clicking on the recommended web pages and what not that come with the computer saving or tracking my past searches. In the past I used to ignore everything that popped up on my computer, ads and such but now I know how to use the data that is presented and find what I feel is useful within all of the crap.
ReplyDeleteBrenda mentions how she also feels there is a need to keep up with technology and information in reference to your keeping up on pod casts, but I do not find myself doing this that often. Above I mention how I keep tabs open if I use them alot, but I do not constantly look for the updated site or updated manga until a good chunk of time has passed. It is not a daily struggle to keep up with the information I use in my life.
I feel this way about software. When a software application is updated, I always feel like I have to have the latest update and learn how it has changed. It's not surprising because I teach it, but I've always been like that. With Dreamweaver, for example, the latest version visually looks different and changes to CSS interface have changed. I was frustrated at first because Ilike it the way it was, probably moreso, I was used to the way it was. Now, I've worked with it enough that I can see why they changed it. It didn't need to be changed, but it does seem to fit how I go about my work. There's always something new to learn and filter.
ReplyDelete