Instruction
Experiential Report: Everyday Experiences of Algorithms
This assignment includes 2 components:
1) 5-day Algorithmic Journal:
Keep an individual journal of your daily algorithmic encounters. For these 5 days (which don’t
have to be consecutive), pay special attention to the many ways algorithms impact your life.
Consider questions like these in your journal (and eventual Experiential Report):
What content are you seeing on your social media feeds? Why are you seeing that specific
content? What ads are you being shown online? Why? What’s trending on your social media
platform of choice? Are those your trends? Your friends’? Your city’s? The country’s? How do
you know? Which platforms/companies/institutions are interacting with you algorithmically
every day? Remember, this doesn’t necessarily mean only online social media platforms. Are
you taking an online test proctored by an AI program? What algorithms might underlie
Blackboard or other software you use every day? What about shopping? Did you visit Amazon
or another online retailer this week? How do you think algorithms impacted your experiences
as a consumer? Did you apply for a job? Do you think applications will be algorithmically
sorted? What music are you listening to and where? Did an AI or human create your Spotify
playlist? What media are you watching and why? For example, what did you see when you
opened Netflix? YouTube? How did the sorting impact what you decided to watch?
In the journal, make sure you reflect on moments of surprise, happiness, confusion, dismay, or
other emotions brought forth by your algorithmic encounters.
• Save screenshots or other photos and notes in your journal entries.
• You can keep the journal on paper or digitally.
• You do not need to submit the journal as part of your assignment.
2) Experiential Report:
Draw on the weekly readings to make sense of the experiences you recorded in your
Algorithmic Journal. Write up the major themes of your experiences in a report, including your
overall reactions, impressions, and concerns. You should draw on the journal in your report,
either through screenshots/images or direct quotes.
• The Experiential Report should be a minimum of 1000 words, excluding reference list,
and should cite a minimum of 3 class readings.
• You are expected to use images in your report (e.g. screenshots) but please do not
identify other internet users.
• Do not submit your journal.