Sleepytime Bear

[Sleepytime Bear @SleepytimeB]

@scottyp451 Dystopian fiction has become real...

[Sleepytime Bear @SleepytimeB]

@ad45_education @bonstewart Big Brother is watching...

[Sleepytime Bear @SleepytimeB]

@SamRich34073215 I was honestly disapointed (although considering the capitalist obsession we have with efficiency, not surprised) by knowing that even interviews were subject to automation and algorithms. Really takes the personalization of getting to know your potiential employer! #unboundeq

[Sleepytime Bear @SleepytimeB]

@LussDj @bonstewart @illluminarii I, as well as Dr. Lorenz-Spreen from this article would agree with you! “Content is increasing in volume, which exhausts our attention and our urge for ‘newness’ causes us to collectively switch between topics more regularly..." https://t.co/pNkiTFELN3

[Sleepytime Bear @SleepytimeB]

@scottyp451 Exactly. Very sus! #unboundeq

[Sleepytime Bear @SleepytimeB]

An important question, in particular, is the following: who does this technology serve? #unboundeq

[Sleepytime Bear @SleepytimeB]

@__MissMia #unboundeq

[Sleepytime Bear @SleepytimeB]

@__MissMia In fact, Google and Microsoft have actually co-created an organization that tries to restrict algorithms that they deem to have negative outcomes, striving for transparency in machine learning! https://t.co/CVRcJ2kIIq

[Sleepytime Bear @SleepytimeB]

Whether these unfair outcomes were intended or not, algorithmic bias perpetuates inequality invisibly by privileging certain users over others! #unboundeq

[Sleepytime Bear @SleepytimeB]

Examples of racial bias in algorithms can be found in this article. Users noticed that Zoom erased faces of black people when they applied virtual backgrounds, and that Twitter seems to give preferences to white people in images. #unboundeq https://t.co/YnYa7qaALH

[Sleepytime Bear @SleepytimeB]

This is where it gets messy. While people might think these algorithms are "objective" or neutral, they are only as unbiased as the people who wrote them. And because implicit bias is inherent in us, biases actually slip into the algorithms we create. #unboundeq

[Sleepytime Bear @SleepytimeB]

Algorithms are an example of "machine learning" technology. Because algorithms allow systems to function automatically, programs are able, according to how they were written, to organize and display user data in certain patterns. #unboundeq

[Sleepytime Bear @SleepytimeB]

An example of an algorithm that we are all familiar with is the hashtag feature of Twitter. Twitter was programmed so that if someone uses a word after a hashtag, Twitter will show their tweet with others that contain that hashtag+word combination. #unboundeq

[Sleepytime Bear @SleepytimeB]

According to https://t.co/CLXK2j9DBM, algorithms work via input and output. "They take the input and apply each step of the algorithm to that information to generate an output." #unboundeq

[Sleepytime Bear @SleepytimeB]

So what is an algorithm? An algorithm is basically a set of instructions that allows programmers to automate systems (such as web applications) to behave according to these instructions. #unboundeq

[Sleepytime Bear @SleepytimeB]

We need to consider a key word that will help us unpack the insidious power dynamics operating behind the curtains. That word is "algorithm". #unboundeq

[Sleepytime Bear @SleepytimeB]

Because technology can have such a great impact on our lives, it deserves some serious thought. In particular, we need to be questioning the ethical issues that stem from social technologies such as the internet. #unboundeq

[Sleepytime Bear @SleepytimeB]

The truth is, technology radically shapes our realities, our worldview, and our behaviour. Its advantages are obvious: it allows for new possibilities and solutions, and it often makes life easier! But what about the dark side of technology? #unboundeq

[Sleepytime Bear @SleepytimeB]

Tech: it's all around us! In our homes, our schools, and our workplaces. It's so commonplace that many of us take it for granted, as "neutral" tools that help us in our daily lives.

But what if I told you technology is not as neutral as it seems? #unboundeq