Learning Journal Entry #2: We Are Data

    Overall, I found the readings from We Are Data by John Cheney-Lippold to be thought-provoking, especially when you consider the modern-day information and data-based climate of society. The readings provided deal with the difference between an individual’s online identity in comparison to their real-life identity. The author seems to attribute the discrepancy between the versions to algorithms and how they interpret a user’s digital footprint:” Algorithmic interpretations about data of our web surfing, data of our faces, and even data about our friendships set, new distinct terms for identity online” (Cheney-Lippold, 2017, p.xiii). These algorithms can be defined as sets of instructions used by a computer to collect and analyze data.

    I was vaguely aware of this information before but it was helpful to get a more in-depth look. In general, I am careful when using social media and the Internet for my own personal use and I probably will tread more carefully going forward. Currently, I don’t use social media in a professional manner. If I were to in the future, I would probably create new profiles and keep my professional accounts separate from my personal ones. 

    I believe that there are numerous ethical considerations with algorithms and the data they collect and generate themselves.  At face value, the process is not inherently unethical. Algorithms are essentially procedures that can be used to solve problems. For example, I equate the steps of an algorithm to that of following the directions of a recipe. Some of the ethical issues that arise with the idea of algorithms stem from what humans do with the information and data that has been harvested. Some potential ethical consequences of this could be an invasion of privacy, predatory marketing techniques, and financial security breaches.

    To me, one of the more concerning issues brought up by Cheney-Lippold is the ambiguous nature of algorithms. This combined with their speed creates situations where a user’s online identity is constantly shifting with little to no input from the owner: “Nor can we really know who we are online as our algorithmic identities change by the input: minute by minute and byte by byte” (Cheney-Lippold, 2017, p.5).

References

Cheney-Lippold, J. (2017). We are data: algorithms and the making of our digital selves. New York, New York University Press.