The filter bubble app: how can secondary school students become aware of algorithmic filtering?

Description

This research paper describes young people’s ideas and understandings of technology related to their own social media use, with a particular focus on their knowledge and imaginations of the working of algorithms, as well as how they evaluate these workings for themselves. This study is part of a design based research in which an educational app is being designed that promotes algorithmic awareness, knowledge, agency and ethical reflection on the effects of algorithms for students in secondary education in the Netherlands. Drawing upon the concepts of algorithmic consciousness, imagination, and power, we analyze how secondary education students make sense of the algorithmic workings of their social media apps. We discuss to what extent such sense making and ‘making the algorithm work for them’ can be seen as forms of agency as well as how technology that sorts, selects, secludes and judges in invisible ways can become ‘educative’ again.

Period	22 Aug 2023
Event title	EARLI Conference 2023
Event type	Conference
Location	Thessaloniki, GreeceShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International