Value LOOK#
General Description: This assignment is focused on thinking through how algorithms and data are present in your everyday life. Your goal is to document all the points of interaction over the course of a single day that you suspect are, at least in part, driven by algorithmic decision making and/or when your data is being collected. You will then reflect on the level of trust and personal data usage of each interaction by answering a series of questions for each instance.
Preparatory Assignments: Data Value Lectures and Read Assignments
Why am I doing this? Course Learning Objective Alignment: Observe the world around you, recording your observations in a systematic way.
What am I going to do? Select a day to track your observations. Note all potential interactions with algorithms/data gathering throughout the day. This can include but is not limited to social media, phone apps, websites, articles or news that reference data/models, smart devices, camera tracking (potentially), driving etc. or any other form of interaction that you suspect has an algorithmic or data driven component. Depending on the type of observation answer the following questions:
Algorithmic decision making (are recommendations being provided):
Do you know how the decisions you are seeing are being made?
Is your personal data driving the results?
Do you think the results are accurate?
Can you change the results?
Do you trust the output?
Data Gathering (do you think just your data is being stored):
How is the data being used and gathered?
If requested, can you get access to the data?
Did you give consent for your data to be gathered?
Do you believe it is in a secure location?
If applicable note multiple interactions with the same algorithm/data gathering source, but don’t answer the questions again unless you think the answers have changed.
Once you’ve completed the day of observations reflect on the outcome and the answers to the questions. Are you surprised at the number of observations and how do the answers to the questions make you feel as it relates to the presence of data driven technologies in our everyday lives?
Tips for success:
Try not to change your daily routine.
Try to take as broad a view as possible.
If you are not sure an observations is data or algo driven, include it anyway, there’s no wrong answers.
How will I know I have succeeded? I will meet spec when I follow the criteria in this rubric.
Specs Category |
Specs Details |
|---|---|
Formatting |
- Your observation results and refection in a pdf document. |
Observations by Category |
- Note each interaction by category with associated question responses. (2 to 3 pages) |
Reflection |
- Goal: Synthesize your observations in the same document (1/2 to 1 page) |
Acknowledgements: Special thanks to Jess Taggart from UVA CTE for coaching us. This structure is pulled directly from Streifer & Palmer (2020).