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Learning materials
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Valve, Matti: Talven riemuja Paloheinässä, 2003. The Finnish Museum of Photography, D2024:7/70

Alternative algorithm

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Theme: Context and platform
Alternative algorithm

Reflection exercise

Time: 30–40 min

Tools: Smartphone

Goal: Understand how algorithms affect the content on social media.

Transversal competences: L2, L4, L6, L7

Social media platforms collect user data. Based on this metadata, the algorithms provide content that is similar to what the user has liked before. At the same time the user is pushed towards the company of like-minded people. However, only a few of us live in a social media bubble, where the content reflects nothing but your own interests.

My social media feed now

In small groups, discuss what is visible in your own social media feeds at the moment.
What similarities or differences can you see in the different feeds?
Is there any recurring memes or posts?
What kind of images do you think the algorithms favour? Do you like the current imagery?
What would happen to the algorithms if you left social media for one month?

What could change?

Start creating your own shared feed.

Based on the conversations you had in small groups, think about what kind of content you would like to see in your alternative feed?
Each one of you chooses 1-3 images from their phone to the shared feed.
Go through your choices within the group.

A shared, alternative social media feed

Get together and share your feeds with other groups.

Share your selected images by putting your phones on the table the same time. NB! If needed, prolong the time of the screen timeout on your phone’s screen setting.
Discuss the photo collage. What do you see?

← Experimental self-portrait

What is an algorithm? →

Learning materials
Teacher’s instructions
- Authors
FI
SV
EN

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