[Air-L] agency / neutrality of algorithms

Tue Jun 7 19:31:36 PDT 2016

Hi list

I've really liked the discussion/posts on neutrality of algorithms.

In respond to the technical question, I suggest that it is also important to look a little broader. The recent focus on 'algorithms' as a named topic is preceded by previous discussion the affordances of computer programming.  See for example the early work by Weizenbaum (1976), Computer power and human reason.  Rather than capture the affordances of specific algorithms, I tried to capture the affordances in programming in Henman (1995) 'The role of computers in texturing micro-social environments' Journal of Sociology/Australian and New Zealand Journal of sociology, and Kent (1978) Data and reality, captured aspects of how databases structure the world in their constructing of database items and categories, a topic that remains pertinent to this day.  Those observations also relate nicely to the work on sociology of standards and categories (see Bowker and Starr, Soring things out; Busch, standards).

Another key point made by Weizenbaum, which I reiterated in Henman (2002) "Computer modeling and the politics of greenhouse gas policy in Australia." Social science computer review, is that computer code, models and algorithms are very much a black box, and as such embed hard to contest operations of power.

These observations can also be broadened to literature on the politics of technologies - see Langdon Winner's work, and particularly his classic, Do artefacts have politics.

Hope this is helpful.

Paul

Paul Henman
Associate Professor of Social Policy and Sociology
Head of Sociology
Program Director, BSocSci
School of Social Science
University of Queensland  QLD  4072
T: +61 7 3365 2765 | E: P.Henman at uq.edu.au | W: www.digitalsocialpolicy.com 

-----Original Message-----
From: Air-L [mailto:air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Jat Singh
Sent: Friday, 3 June 2016 10:32 PM
Cc: air-l at listserv.aoir.org
Subject: Re: [Air-L] agency / neutrality of algorithms

Has anyone come across any papers that dive into the tech details of the algorithms themselves, particularly for machine learning, in this context?

There’s a great one by Jenna Burrell: “How the machine ‘thinks’, Understanding opacity in machine learning algorithms”, but wondering if there are others?

Thanks!!

On 1 June 2016 at 12:17, Andrew Herman <aherman at wlu.ca> wrote:
> Alex
>
> This is awesome! Thanks so much for putting together.
> ________________________________________
> From: Air-L <air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of Alex Gekker 
> <gekker.alex at gmail.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 1, 2016 4:48 AM
> To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org
> Subject: Re: [Air-L] agency / neutrality of algorithms
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> The response has been amazing, thank you all for your wonderful 
> suggestions on and off list. And sorry if I missed someone in responding personally.
> I took the liberty of putting together a public Google Doc with all 
> the suggestions. I tried to keep it short but provide context where 
> original authors supplied few lines of elaboration.
> The list is freely editable, so if you feel there's something missing 
> or would rather not have your suggestions there - please edit it or 
> email me and I'll do it.
>
> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OaAnpaLaOQs0YgUaPZ0lEThy0EI9_Rrjtr
> qdQYBYHMs/edit?usp=sharing
>
> regards,
> Alex.
>
> On Wed, Jun 1, 2016 at 12:51 AM Malte Ziewitz <mziewitz at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Alex, if you are specifically interested in the research strategy of 
>> 'ethicizing' analytic objects, the following exchange might be a good 
>> starting point:
>>
>> Kraemer, Felicitas, Kees Overveld, and Martin Peterson. 2010. “Is 
>> There an Ethics of Algorithms?” Ethics and Information Technology 13 (3): 251–60.
>> doi:10.1007/s10676-010-9233-7.
>>
>> Anderson, Robert J., and Wesley W. Sharrock. 2013. “Ethical 
>> Algorithms: A Brief Comment on an Extensive Muddle.”,
>>
>> http://www.sharrockandanderson.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Ethic
>> al-Algorithms.pdf
>>
>> Taken together, the two articles highlight some of the (fascinating) 
>> issues that arise from adding epithets like 'ethical,' 'neutral,' 
>> 'moral', etc. to computational phenomena.
>>
>> All best,
>> Malte
>>
>> On Tue, May 31, 2016 at 6:23 PM, Josh Scannell 
>> <joshua.scannell at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> > I'm a lurker on this listserv but I would like to second this list. 
>> > It is invaluable.
>> >
>> > On Monday, May 30, 2016, Tarleton L. Gillespie <tlg28 at cornell.edu>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> > > I'd like to recommend this:
>> > >
>> > >
>> >
>> https://socialmediacollective.org/reading-lists/critical-algorithm-st
>> udies/
>> > >
>> > > Nick Seaver and I had been trying to keep tabs on this scholarship.
>> Many
>> > > of the pieces on this list, especially in sections 0.2, 1.1, and 1.2.
>> > >
>> > > Tarleton
>> > >
>> > > sent from my iphone, sorry for my fat fingers.
>> > >
>> > > > On May 30, 2016, at 4:09 PM, Elizabeth Anne Watkins <
>> > > writetowatkins at gmail.com <javascript:;>> wrote:
>> > > >
>> > > > The Yale Information Society Project recently held a 
>> > > > spectacular
>> > > conference
>> > > > on Algorithmic Accountability, which may be of interest:
>> > > >
>> > > > http://isp.yale.edu/node/6055
>> > > >
>> > > >> On Mon, May 30, 2016 at 3:36 PM, Alex Gekker 
>> > > >> <gekker.alex at gmail.com
>> > > <javascript:;>> wrote:
>> > > >>
>> > > >> Hi list,
>> > > >>
>> > > >> I've been running into a lot of writing criticising the notion 
>> > > >> of "algorithms are neutral" recently, but yet to find a 
>> > > >> scholarly work
>> > that
>> > > >> tackles the subject yet. Any recommendations?
>> > > >>
>> > > >> Here are some examples for the types of arguments I'm interested in:
>> > > >>
>> > > >>
>> > > >>
>> > >
>> >
>> http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/04/go-tweak-yourse
>> lf-facebook/480258/
>> > > >> https://socialmediacollective.org/2016/05/18/facebook-trends/
>> > > >>
>> > > >> thanks,
>> > > >> Alex.
>> > > >>
>> > > >>
>> > > >> =======
>> > > >>
>> > > >> Alex Gekker, PhD Candidate (Promovendus), Media and Culture, 
>> > > >> Utrecht University.
>> > > >> Charting the Digital http://www.digitalcartography.eu/ 
>> > > >> http://alexgekker.com a.gekker at uu.nl <javascript:;> 
>> > > >> <//a.gekker at uu.nl <javascript:;>> | 
>> > > >> _______________________________________________
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>> > --
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