The age of the algorithm

On episode 667 of the much imitated social series SubwayTakes, the guest claims “the algorithm knows your kids better than you do.” Host Kareem Rahma 100% agrees, although on this occasion he has to, given it’s an ad for an encryption company.

It’s just the latest in a long, long line of examples of how the algorithm apparently controls our lives.

The algorithm, this time under the predictably unimaginative name of the ‘Integrated Assessment Tool’ is currently under fire for mistakes in determining how much aged care support people can receive, with 800 people requesting reviews of its decision in just five months.

According to one researcher, algorithms now “define what counts as virtuous behavior”, including whether you’re healthy (fitness trackers), productive (workplace dashboards), and a good parent (devices that track a baby’s breathing and heart rate). 

It is even being blamed for why entire populations are unhappy, with algorithmically driven social media the primary cause of misery in this year’s edition of the World Happiness Report.

Because there are column inches to fill and contrarian tendencies to satiate, there is some pushback against the power of the algorithm, with advice on how to cultivate your own taste (tl;dr go outside) and an attempt by writer Kate Lindsay to make being chronically online uncool (a case she made online).

Whether you’re a slave to the algorithm or a rebel warrior battling against it, it now essentially defines culture. Not in what it does, but how we think about it. 

The algorithm is no longer a tool wielded by organisations. It has been personified and mystified to the point where a simple mention of the word is enough for us to powerlessly acquiesce. 

Rather than lionise or villianise the algo, perhaps it’s time to do something even harder - understand it.