Algorithmic Rhetoric and Search Literacy John Jones West Virginia University [email protected] @johnmjones
Algorithmic Rhetoric and Search Literacy #hastac2011
Jan 24, 2015
A search engine is rhetorical in that its design makes decisions about the importance of the information it indexes and serves to users. In this talk I examine some metaphors that help us understand how we think about algorithms.
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Transcript
rhetoric
algorithm = truth ?
metaphors for algorithms
1. autonomous machine2. Rube Goldberg device3. Mechanical Turk
autonomous machine
Rube Goldberg device
Mechanical Turk
1998, p. 1
2011, p. 66
"A site's ranking in Google's search results is automatically determined by computer algorithms using thousands of factors to
calculate a page's relevance to a given query"
was changed to
"A site's ranking in Google's search results relies heavily on computer algorithms using thousands of factors to calculate a page's
relevance to a given query."
"computer algorithms using thousands of factors to calculate a page's relevance to a
given query."
1998, p. 12
"These types of personalized PageRanks are virtually immune to manipulation by
commercial interests. For a page to get a high PageRank, it must convince an important page, or a lot of non-important pages to link to it. At
worst, you can have manipulation in the form of buying advertisements(links) on important
sites."
NY Times, 2/26/2011
NY Times, 11/28/2010
NY Times, 2/25/2011
algorithms are authored
•Image Sources
•Slide 2: http://www.freakingnews.com/pictures/22000/Einstein-Computer-22445.jpg
•Slide 4: http://images.fastcompany.com/upload/160-Features-tech-war-5.jpg
•Slide 11: http://trendsupdates.com/be-careful-terminators-might-cook-you/
•Slide 12: https://myits.luc.edu/techconnect/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/pfr-mathematica.png
•Slide 14: http://kaching.tumblr.com/post/722378616/an-original-rube-goldberg-machine
•Slide 15: http://blog.kissmetrics.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/amazon-recommendations.jpg
•Slide 16: http://www.boingboing.net/filesroot/dotyxmas.jpg
•Slide 18: http://lh4.ggpht.com/_jjjg9Yqc9u4/TBAWc2jYAMI/AAAAAAAAECQ/XDsiTQB-EnM/The_Turk_Chess_Machine_Secret.jpg
•Slide 19: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HED3ixtVVIw/S555XuRhLKI/AAAAAAAAAAk/L_sd7mw10f0/s640/google-doodle2.jpg
•Slide 24: http://www.okfalls.rodrose.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/garbage.jpg
•Slide 27: http://www.envoca.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/155554663_89beb0ac63_b.jpg
•Slide 28: http://clifhaley.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/BORKER-2-popup.jpg
•Slide 30: http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/26234427.jpg
•Slide 31: http://www.math.ubc.ca/~cass/courses/m446-03/pl322/322.jpg
•Slide 32: http://9to5mac.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/infiniteloop.jpg?w=640&h=426
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