During the article “The Power of Algorithms: How Software
Formats the Culture,” I was constantly reminded of a phrase my high school
English teacher once said which essentially told everyone the most exciting
events take place when you are lost: without a GPS, place to go, or on the main
roads. With this in mind after reading the article, I wonder if it’s truly
possible to be “lost on the Internet,” Sandra Alvaro would argue that with the
advent of algorithm usage on websites, users lose the ability to just meander
through websites, but instead are subjected to a funneled path preset by their
previous usage because “algorithms make us
participate in processes that we are not conscious of,” (Alvaro). How can
users battle against an unconscious entity? Moving forward with technology and
coding, could someone use counter algorithms? Is that possible?
This concept of repeating your own steps and conforming
to a predetermined algorithm takes away any conceived idea of spontaneity from
users and the human brain. “[W] hen algorithms
manage information, they also reconstruct relationships and connections, they
encourage preferences and produce encounters, and end up shaping our contexts
and our identities,” (Alvaro). Shouldn’t Internet users be upset by a notion
that their identities and their interests are simplified to a few equations,
not to mention the invasive tracking conducted in order to construct these
algorithms? I believe they should. Considering algorithms filter unnecessary
information to provide faster and relevant searches, we are caught in a web of
unwanted and unknown patterns.
With this unwanted and unconscious entity ruling our Internet
usage, what would be the best ways to combat the construction of our identities
through mathematical equations? If there is an increase in education about the background
of the Internet, will there be a backlash? Can we get lost once again in an algorithmically
defined society?
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