Assignment 2
Please review the class readings, slides and our class discussions on algorithmic bias and write a 800 words essay on the following question.
Do algorithmic media harm the principle of objectivity in the news?
If you think they do, explain how and what Google, Twitter, and Facebook should do to ensure transparency and fair representation of all voices in society. If you don’t think that objectivity is under threat, explain why not and describe why algorithmic media may even be more effective in keeping the public informed.
Structure
Start by explaining how algorithmic media are different from legacy media, in particular in regards to editorial decision making and selecting news and information. What risks and challenges does this pose to the principle of objectivity? Make sure to provide a clear definition of objectivity, and why it is important in an open and democratic society.
Then move on to critically evaluate whether objectivity can, in fact, be achieved and how legacy media themselves have often failed to live up to its promise. Does that mean impartiality and neutrality are impossible goals? If not, why not? Consider how social media and search engines may indeed have helped us overcome bias and manipulation in legacy media. Gillespie’s text on the relevance of Algorithms is particularly helpful here.
Next compare these benefits of social media to the negative consequences of algorithmically curated news. Review how Facebook, Google, and Twitter calculate trending topics or search results and evaluate whether this helps people find relevant news or rather reinforces existing bias, polarisation and partisanship. Think of the Russian ad scandal during the USA elections here or the presence of the Occupy movement and the Black lives campaign on Social Media. Do these examples support the idea that machine algorithms are better in providing neutral, unbiased information? Other examples include the tendency of algorithms to promote extreme positions and fake news. Or think of the ideological bubbles algorithms create by presenting news based on what we have liked before rather than exposing them to the full spectrum of views. Gillespie's text “Critique of Facebook curating our lives” and Lotan’s “Network Audiences” will be most useful for you here (see Blackboard Week 6).
Conclude with a final paragraph in which you summarize what you have learned from this evaluation. Have algorithmic media strengthened or undermined principles of neutrality and impartiality in news reporting and how, if at all, this threatens the role of media in maintaining a democratic sphere? Based on your findings make some suggestions about how social media companies should minimize potential harms. The texts by Gillespie and Lotan will provide you with inspiration in this regard. Remember that algorithms are pieces of code — they can be programmed — thus they are not inherently “Bad” or “manipulative” it’s what they are asked to do that determines their effects. Can you think of ways to achieve what Gillespie calls “Algorithmic Objectivity”?
Deadline: Wednesday Feb 27 2019 10 a.m.
Format: Medium Blogpost
Maximum Grade: 10 points
Grading Criteria: The highest grade is given to those who productively engage with the course readings (minimum of 3 quotes) and include at least 2 visual examples in their argument. This means you have to apply the key concept of algorithmic bias and objectivity to different cases and explain in a logical and coherent manner how algorithms threaten impartiality, fairness and balance or not.
Referencing: Make sure to cite your sources properly using APA style.
