Algorithms Are Engineering Our Relationships

Algorithms Are Engineering Our Relationships
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Algorithms Are Engineering Our Relationships
Introduction
An algorithm in the broadest sense refers to encoded procedures that transform input data into desirable output based on a specified calculation (Gillespie, 2014). Accordingly, algorithms do things with their syntax structure embodying a command structure that allows them to happen. One typical example of an algorithm is a computer, as its stores and scrutinizes data using mathematical formulas to offer new solutions and information. Over the years, algorithms have proved significant in our daily living, from transportation to medicine to criminal justice and beyond. They have become modern anxiety of everyday life, mainly because people live in an age where technology has taken center stage in all aspects of life. Humans have recently turned their world to algorithms and machine learning, but managing them remains a significant issue. According to Deloitte global, over 80 of the world’s largest 100 companies run technologies mediated by algorithms as of 2016. Today, these companies have made algorithms the new arbiters of decision-making right from watching movies, developing self-driving cars, buying products, among others. Despite algorithm engineering's significant aspects of our lives, it least engineers our day-to-day relationships.
Algorithms and Relationships
Algorithms are tools that typically learn from a large pool of data, offering an optimized response following a pre-programmed framework. According to Gillespie (2014), algorithms are neutral and infallible and slightly fairer than humans. That is why they have made entry to almost every sector of the economy. The implications of delegating our life decisions to algorithms are massive. Other than being neutral and all-knowing, day-to-day algorithms are shaped by humans who are imperfect for purpose and intent. Algorithm functions by drawing trends and connections from past data while also significantly influencing relationships, making them prone to repeated human mistakes where the implications can be intended or unintended in many cases. For example, over 4 million searchers are keyed into the Google search engine daily. Every time google responds to search questions, it considers various metrics to determine what web pages to include, exclude, or prioritize (Bucher, 2012). Several search criteria are factored in during the search, including website creation date, inward and outward links, and several keywords. In many instances, the combination of metrics triggers questionable results, which are either biased or hostile. Regardless, the Google algorithm receives information on many things, and which influence decisions. Other algorithms such as Facebook receive information about people and build patterns based on the provided information. In this way, the algorithms master the ingredients of ways of living and how to mix them to come up with desirable behavior. In the age of the algorithm, several other things might get better, but relationships might not (Liu et al., 2019). Advances in artificial intelligence embedded in internet devices and systems are slowly creating ne...