Does the Algorithm Know Me Better Than I Know Myself? Integrating Algorithmic Feeds into Research (HDR Workshop)
About the workshop
In this workshop, participants will investigate how social media platforms and their algorithms shape the construction of identity, influencing not only what users encounter but also how they come to understand themselves and others. We will critically engage with concepts of algorithmic identities (Cheney-Lippold, 2011; 2017) and algorithmized selves (Bhandari & Bimo, 2022), asking what they reveal, obscure, or misrepresent about lived experiences and self-making practices. Through a blend of conceptual grounding and hands-on activities, participants will collaboratively analyze social media feeds to consider how users and brands leverage platform features to signal identity, how they attune themselves to algorithms, as well as how algorithmic curation makes certain identity characteristics salient. Guided discussions will extend this inquiry to questions of algorithmic responsiveness (Taylor & Choi, 2022) and the prismatic refraction and diffraction of identity across feeds (Lee et al., 2022). The workshop will conclude by focusing on methodological practice, helping participants cultivate strategies for incorporating social media content and feeds into research designs, including ethical considerations.
Please visit https://bit.ly/algofeedworkshop for optional suggested readings and pre-workshop activity instructions.
About the facilitator
Kelley Cotter is an Assistant Professor at Penn State University whose research explores how data-centric technologies (especially algorithms) shape social, cultural, and political life. Her research examines how everyday users understand and interact with algorithmic systems, and how these insights can inform more equitable forms of platform governance.
