Algorithms, the new arbiters of human decision-making
We live in the age of algorithms. An algorithm is “a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer said by the oxford dictionary.” (Oxford Dictionary)
They are becoming part of our culture because they are influencing our decisions making every day. From the route we get using when using the GPS, to a recommendation on a book or product, or even what we see on social media, algorithms decide it. We are satisfied with what they show us; algorithms are becoming our agents. They have access to information provided by our behaviors, our searches, locations, and likes on the web or our smartphones, which lead us to what we are interested in. The algorithms are continuously deciding what to show us.
“Algorithms are the new arbiters of human decision-making in almost any area we can imagine, from watching a movie (Affectiva emotion recognition) to buying a house (Zillow.com) to self-driving cars (Google).” (Barry Chudakov, 2017)
According to The Economist, an algorithm is, essentially, a brainless way of doing bright things.
It is a set of precise steps that need no tremendous mental effort to follow but which, if obeyed precisely and mechanically, will lead to some desirable outcome.
If algorithms generate information for other algorithms while doing so for us, human beings, what implications would that have for culture?
Culture distinguishes the transition of humanity through the planet, modifying, adapting, and manifesting what is given by nature. The form that culture is taking, always in transformation, is what identifies us as a society.
According to the oxford dictionary, culture is the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively.
Netflix is the clearest example of the application of algorithmic culture since each user has their preferences, tastes, reproductions, and it is as if this search engine had a kind of artificial intelligence that continuously suggest what is best for its users. The platform is always learning about these particular habits from each user. The algorithms of these search engines and current social networks go beyond looking for information in the super library from which they consult, select, process, and disseminate this information on the computer screen, TV, or mobile phone for a community or a particular user. We can call this Personalized Artificial Intelligence or simply Personalization of the Search. The pioneers on this concept were the creators of the Google programming algorithm codes, which always are in constant development. Of course, in all this, there are some pitfalls; they exist some dangers in this era where search engines can predict our tastes, hobbies, behavior patterns, reactions to situations, and almost our lives.
These pitfalls may be that the information may be too personalized. Everything is influenced based on our clicks. That click will determine what we will see next, and will form a path, so we can always cycle through the same information and do not see anything new.
Our behaviors can be predicted. The culture of the algorithm fed back by creating feedback to produce new habits of thought, behavior, and expressions that otherwise would not occur without the intervention of the algorithmic culture.
For example, Google has the task of storing, organizing, and ranking people, places, objects, and ideas by order of importance. These tasks are done automatically by the information provided by users. The same happens on Facebook, who determines what comments or photos of friends will appear on the profile history, based again on Facebook’s user behavior.
The algorithms, today, are the ones who decide which aspects of the culture will be successful based on the information they store. They will decide which information, product, film, song, book, photograph, news, even people will be offered or showed based on the tastes and habits of users, customers, spectators, of us humans, the inhabitants of this world. This information will be successful and will fit the profile of each of us. As said before, the algorithms decide for us, and they have a significant impact on this era and our culture.
