Visual Monitoring of Complex Algorithms

Purchases, conversations, access to information, music and movies: more and more of our online life is mediated by complex algorithms that are designed to make the experience of the Web customized and more “personal”. These algorithms can process an amount of heterogeneous data that would take enormous resources for the human mind to cope with, and find valuable patterns in it. Their use is not limited to our online experience as similar algorithms have been also implemented, for example, to inform policymakers: suggesting where to deploy police forces around the urban context, assessing criminality risk scores of offenders, or allocating high school students to the most suited school. While the consequences of the decisions made by algorithms have a great impact on people’s lives, the way they are built and designed makes them de facto “black boxes”: a series of legal and technical barriers prevents from accessing and understanding how a certain input influences a given output. Overseeing their decision processes becomes then of the utmost importance. This paper argues that visualizations can become a powerful tool to monitor algorithms and make their complexity accessible and usable by visually showing the relation between the inputs and the outputs in a manner that mimics an observational study approach. The paper analyzes a case study developed as an experiment to test opportunities and criticalities in using visualization to represent the presence and the activity of algorithms. This represents a shift from the main purpose of visualizations and Data Visualization in general: since its strong suit is to support human decision- making processes by transforming data into knowledge, the substitution of people by machines in this activity seems to make visualizations obsolete. A computer doesn’t need to “see” the data to make a decision – or at least not in the same way as people do – no matter how multidimensional and hetero- geneous the data is. With the diffusion of algorithms, the need to inspect their accountability and performance will simply move visualizations at a later stage. From a decision-making tool visualization becomes a monitoring and awareness tool

Exploring the role of social media literacy in adolescents' experiences with personalization: A Norwegian qualitative study

Social media platforms rely on algorithms to filter and select content, thereby personalizing every individual's social media experience. Many use social media without awareness of this personalization and its impact, pointing to a need to both understand and improve literacy among active social media users. This qualitative study addresses adolescents' social media literacy through an investigation of their experiences with personalization on social media, aiming for a nuanced perspective of their outcomes. A thematic analysis of eight focus group interviews with 47 students aged 15–19 years uncovered two main themes: (1) diverse levels of adolescents' awareness and familiarity with personalization and (2) positive, negative, and mixed emotions toward personalization. Theme one uncovered that although the adolescents were largely unfamiliar with the terminology, when prompted, most of them could provide examples of personalization, whereas theme two revealed that adolescents appreciated relevant content and yet were uneasy about certain features.publishedVersio

Exploring the role of social media literacy in adolescents' experiences with personalization: A Norwegian qualitative study

Social media platforms rely on algorithms to filter and select content, thereby personalizing every individual's social media experience. Many use social media without awareness of this personalization and its impact, pointing to a need to both understand and improve literacy among active social media users. This qualitative study addresses adolescents' social media literacy through an investigation of their experiences with personalization on social media, aiming for a nuanced perspective of their outcomes. A thematic analysis of eight focus group interviews with 47 students aged 15–19 years uncovered two main themes: (1) diverse levels of adolescents' awareness and familiarity with personalization and (2) positive, negative, and mixed emotions toward personalization. Theme one uncovered that although the adolescents were largely unfamiliar with the terminology, when prompted, most of them could provide examples of personalization, whereas theme two revealed that adolescents appreciated relevant content and yet were uneasy about certain features.Exploring the role of social media literacy in adolescents' experiences with personalization: A Norwegian qualitative studypublishedVersio

Competent Men and Warm Women: Gender Stereotypes and Backlash in Image Search Results

There is much concern about algorithms that underlie information services and the view of the world they present. We develop a novel method for examining the content and strength of gender stereotypes in image search, inspired by the trait adjective checklist method. We compare the gender distribution in photos retrieved by Bing for the query “person” and for queries based on 68 character traits (e.g., “intelligent person”) in four regional markets. Photos of men are more often retrieved for “person,” as compared to women. As predicted, photos of women are more often retrieved for warm traits (e.g., “emotional”) whereas agentic traits (e.g., “rational”) are represented by photos of men. A backlash effect, where stereotype-incongruent individuals are penalized, is observed. However, backlash is more prevalent for “competent women” than “warm men.” Results underline the need to understand how and why biases enter search algorithms and at which stages of the engineering proces

Propaganda in an Age of Algorithmic Personalization: Expanding Literacy Research and Practice

In this commentary, the author considers the rise of algorithmic personalization and the power of propaganda as they shift the dynamic landscape of 21st‐century literacy research and practice. Algorithmic personalization uses data from the behaviors, beliefs, interests, and emotions of the target audience to provide filtered digital content, targeted advertising, and differential product pricing to online users. As persuasive genres, advertising and propaganda may demand different types of reading practices than texts whose purpose is primarily informational or argumentative. Understanding the propaganda function of algorithmic personalization may lead to a deeper consideration of texts that activate emotion and tap into audience values for aesthetic, commercial, and political purposes. Increased attention to algorithmic personalization, propaganda, and persuasion in the context of K–12 literacy education may also help people cope with sponsored content, bots, and other forms of propaganda and persuasion that now circulate online

O comportamento informacional do eleitor sob a perspectiva da democracia brasileira

Due to the setbacks that have occurred throughout the history of Brazilian democracy, and the importance of providing the population's empowerment, it can be affirmed that voting is a valuable instrument for the citizen to make changes in the face of this fragile condition. From this perspective, the following questions are discussed: what are the voters' priorities? Are voters well informed about candidates for political office? What are the sources of information most used to know the candidates and their proposals? This paper aims to analyze the patterns of information behavior of voters, elucidating the ways in which voters prepare to vote through the search and use of information. Therefore, a quantitative and exploratory survey with three hundred voters of all regions of Brazil was carried out, through questionnaires. It was verified that the information behavior of voters is influenced by different socioeconomic aspects. It was found that, in the lower social class, there is a pressing need for effective appropriation of information to effect conscious voting, while the higher social statement needs to overcome skepticism about the transforming power of the vote.Ante los reveses ocurridos a lo largo de la historia de la democracia brasileña y de la importancia de proporcionar el empoderamiento de la población, se puede afirmar que el voto es un instrumento valioso para el ciudadano operar cambios ante una condición de fragilidad. En esa perspectiva, se parte de las siguientes indagaciones: ¿cuáles son las prioridades de los electores? ¿Los electores están bien informados en relación a los candidatos que postulan los cargos políticos? ¿Cuáles son las fuentes de información más utilizadas para conocer a los candidatos y las propuestas? Se pretende analizar los patrones de comportamiento informacional del elector, elucidando los modos como éste se prepara para votar mediante la búsqueda y el uso de información. Para ello, se realizó una investigación de naturaleza cuantitativa y exploratoria con trescientos electores de todas las regiones brasileñas, por medio de cuestionarios. Se constató que el comportamiento informacional del elector es influenciado por distintos aspectos socioeconómicos. Se constató que, en la clase social más baja hay una urgente necesidad de apropiación efectiva de la información para efectuar el voto consciente, mientras que el extracto social más alto necesita vencer el escepticismo en cuanto al poder transformador del voto.Diante dos revezes ocorridos ao longo da história da democracia brasileira e da importância de se proporcionar o empoderamento da população, pode-se afirmar que o voto é um instrumento valioso para o cidadão operar mudanças diante de uma condição de fragilidade. Nessa perspectiva, parte-se das seguintes indagações: quais são as prioridades dos eleitores? Os eleitores estão bem informados em relação aos candidatos que pleiteiam os cargos políticos? Quais são as fontes de informação mais utilizadas para conhecerem os candidatos e as propostas? Objetiva-se analisar os padrões de comportamento informacional do eleitor, elucidando os modos como este se prepara para votar mediante a busca e o uso de informação. Para tanto, realizou-se uma pesquisa de natureza quantitativa e exploratória com trezentos eleitores de todas as regiões brasileiras, por meio de questionários. Constatou-se que o comportamento informacional do eleitor é influenciado por distintos aspectos socioeconômicos. Constatou-se que, na classe social mais baixa, há uma premente necessidade de apropriação efetiva da informação para efetuar o voto consciente, enquanto que o extrato social mais alto necessita vencer o ceticismo quanto ao poder transformador do voto

Path To Gain Functional Transparency In Artificial Intelligence With Meaningful Explainability

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly integrating into various aspects of our daily lives, influencing decision-making processes in areas such as targeted advertising and matchmaking algorithms. As AI systems become increasingly sophisticated, ensuring their transparency and explainability becomes crucial. Functional transparency is a fundamental aspect of algorithmic decision-making systems, allowing stakeholders to comprehend the inner workings of these systems and enabling them to evaluate their fairness and accuracy. However, achieving functional transparency poses significant challenges that need to be addressed. In this paper, we propose a design for user-centered compliant-by-design transparency in transparent systems. We emphasize that the development of transparent and explainable AI systems is a complex and multidisciplinary endeavor, necessitating collaboration among researchers from diverse fields such as computer science, artificial intelligence, ethics, law, and social science. By providing a comprehensive understanding of the challenges associated with transparency in AI systems and proposing a user-centered design framework, we aim to facilitate the development of AI systems that are accountable, trustworthy, and aligned with societal values.Comment: Hosain, M. T. , Anik, M. H. , Rafi, S. , Tabassum, R. , Insia, K. & S{\i}dd{\i}ky, M. M. (). Path To Gain Functional Transparency In Artificial Intelligence With Meaningful Explainability . Journal of Metaverse , 3 (2) , 166-180 . DOI: 10.57019/jmv.130668

You want me to work with who? Stakeholder perceptions of automated team formation in project-based courses

Instructors are increasingly using algorithmic tools for team formation, yet little is known about how these tools are applied or how students and instructors perceive their use. We studied a representative team formation tool (CATME) in eight project-based courses. An instructor uses the tool to form teams by surveying students’ working styles, skills, and demographics−then configuring the criteria as input into an algorithm that assigns teams. We surveyed students (N=277) in the courses to gauge their perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of the tool and ideas for improving it. We also interviewed instructors (N=13) different from those who taught the eight courses to learn about their criteria selections and perceptions of the tool. Students valued the rational basis for forming teams but desired a stronger voice in criteria selection and explanations as to why they were assigned to a particular team. Instructors appreciated the efficiency of team formation but wanted to view exemplars of criteria used in similar courses. This work contributes recommendations for deploying team formation tools in educational settings and for better satisfying the goals of all stakeholders

A sociedade contemporânea à luz da ética informacional

Qual o lugar da filosofia nos dias atuais? Diante das inúmeras respostas possíveis a esta questão, nos debruçaremos em alguns tópicos que podemos inserir na chamada Ética Informacional, um ramo de investigação filosófico-interdisciplinar relativamente recente que discute problemas oriundos da relação ser humano/tecnologias digitais. Temas como privacidade informacional, arrogância epistêmica e divisão digital serão discutidos e relacionados, com o intuito de ilustrar o papel da filosofia na compreensão da complexidade inerente às dinâmicas sociais no contexto da sociedade da informação. Argumentaremos que pensar o mundo contemporâneo a partir do viés da ética informacional se faz cada dia mais imprescindível para que possamos entrar em sintonia com as rápidas mudanças que a revolução informacional impõe à vida em sociedade e não sermos levados pelas enxurradas informacionais que presenciamos diariamente

Socijalno oblikovanje tehnologije u kontekstu suvremenih online platformi

Rad nastoji ponuditi genezu razvoja, te uvid u ideološki okvir pod čijim su utjecajem nastale najutjecajnije online platforme današnjice. U maniri Socijalnog oblikovanja tehnologije, razjašnjava procese putem kojih se predrasude i vrijednosti prevode u softverske prakse. Algoritmi su integralni dio društva, produkt socijalnog konteksta s kojim živimo; oni su utkani u prakse i ishode. Jednom kad su ti ishodi ostvareni, dobijemo rekurzivne procese kojima se oni ponovo modeliraju u dizajn algoritma (Parisi, 2013). U kontekstu rasprave, rad detektira postojanje libertarijanske tehnoelite kao kohezivne društvene skupine koja za cilj ima promjenu prirode društvene moći, te u principima funkcioniranja konkretnih platformi poput Google, Facebooka i Ubera pronalazi odjeke specifičnog tipa racionalnosti nastale kao rezultat ideja "kalifornijske ideologije". (Iz Uvoda.