Questions for ‘Understanding algorithms — and how to make them work for you’

To accompany ‘Understanding algorithms — and how to make them work for you’

SCIENCE

Before Reading:

1. Explain what an algorithm is to the best of your knowledge.
2. Name one social media platform you use regularly or have used in the past. Think about the posts that show up in your feed. Describe three types of posts that this platform suggests you might be interested in. For example, you might see posts about video games or food. Why do you think the app presents these types of posts to you? What information do you think this social media platform is considering when selecting posts for you to view?

During Reading:

1. How many rules were laid out in Hammurabi’s Code?
2. Give an example of how algorithms affect your social media.
3. The story compares an algorithm to a recipe. Explain how these two things are similar.
4. Consider Noah Giansiracusa’s example algorithm about choosing a dog. Imagine a person uses this approach and gives a particular breed a weight of 3 for how good it is with kids. What does this weighting imply about how much the person values this factor?
5. Regarding social media algorithms, what is the difference between P_share and P_comment?
6. List three factors that social media algorithms take into account when assessing your engagement.
7. Explain what this story means when it says that most social media companies “make money from our time.”
8. What is the goal of the #HalfTheStory Project?
9. If you don’t like something on social media, Giansiracusa suggests that you “give NO feedback.” What is his reason for this suggestion?
10. List three specific suggestions in this story to limit social media use or distractions from your device.

After Reading:

1. Imagine you won a free trip anywhere in the world and must decide where to go. Create an algorithm to help you make this decision. Start by listing three possible destinations. Then, list five important considerations, or factors. For instance, perhaps you would like to be near a beach. If so, make “beach access” one of your factors. Or maybe you want to go somewhere with interesting food. Decide how important each of these factors is to you — that is, assign each one a weight. Next, rank each of your destinations for each factor on a scale of 1-3, where 3 is best. (For guidance, review the example algorithm in the story about choosing a dog breed. This exercise is the same setup.) Calculated the weighted sum for each destination. Circle the location with the highest value.
2. If you could really pick a destination, would you choose the one your algorithm assigned the highest value? If yes, explain the extent to which the algorithm was valuable in making this decision. If no, explain how you might adjust the algorithm to better match your final choice.
3. Work with a partner to practice the fake news exercise described in this story. Individually, take some time to come up with a pair of photos. One should show real news. The other should show some kind of fake news. (Use whatever resources you want to get the “fake news” example. For instance, you might search for websites that call out fake news. Or you could use AI to create your own.) Then, show your examples to your partner and take turns trying to figure out which is fake. Did your partner correctly identify the fake news? Did you? Briefly summarize the results of this exercise. Come up with one hint that might give away that news is fake.
4. Consider the tips included in this story to “wrest back some control” over social media’s algorithms. List two that you would be most likely to try. Do you think applying these tips to your social media use would be easy or hard? Describe one obstacle that might keep you from trying one of these tips. What is one immediate benefit you might get from using these tips? What is one potential long-term benefit?