Dr. Bernhard Rieder (University of Amsterdam) February 2016

Abstract:

This presentation outlines an approach to studying ranking and recommendation algorithms that loosely - or possibly metaphorically - subscribes to an ethnographic mindset. Inspired by Simondon’s proclamation that human beings now live among machines and do not merely operate them, I will attempt to demonstrate how digital methods can be used for "technical fieldwork”, that is, for the investigation of a technical object’s “culture” through observation and description. Using YouTube's ranking and recommendation mechanisms as example, I will show how such a perspective constitutes an alternative to often unrealistic hopes for transparency through access to source code or reverse engineering. The resulting conceptual and empirical approach can be seen as a contribution to the field of software studies as well as a means to address technical concerns in digital sociology.

Bio:

Bernhard Rieder is an associate professor at the Media Studies Department at the University of Amsterdam. Interested in all things digital, his research focuses on the history, theory, and politics of software, more particularly on the role of algorithms in social processes and the production of knowledge.