Introduction:

You’ll find good parallels between Noble and McNamee regarding the ways in which digital platforms create biases and influence they ways that information is received and/or understood. For this discussion, please use both Noble’s “Algorithms of Oppression” and McNamee’s “Zucked.” Please draw on a specific similarity, difference or combination between the two readings, and discuss the significance.  You must have at least one piece of evidence (quote or paraphrase) from each reading.

Instructions:

1. Initial Reply: (200-word minimum)

By Wednesday at 11:59 PM, post your initial response by clicking the reply button below.

• In 200 words or more, please respond to the following:  

1) Choose a specific similarity, difference or combination between “Algorithms of Oppression” and “Zucked.”

2) Then, choose at least one piece of evidence that reflects this pairing (quote or paraphrase) from each reading and share them. 

3) Next, discuss the significance of this pairing. Your task here is not to compare and contrast Noble and McNamee. (Meaning, you are not merely going back and forth between the two and illustrating a he-said, she-said type scenario).  Your job here is to try to theorize a point, using these class texts to help you raise concepts/ideas/theories to think with. With the concepts, quotes, and examples you bring in, remember to be selective. 

4) Lastly, leave readers with a hunch or theory. You may also end your response with a guiding question that leaves you and your readers thinking about this topic.

5) Please provide your word count at the end. 

Then, reply to two peers by Saturday at 11:59 PM

1. Two Replies to Peers: (100-word minimum, each)

By Saturday at 11:59 PM, please post your two responses to your peers. You can do so by clicking the “reply” button under their post.

In your replies, make sure you have reflected on your peer’s chosen similarity or difference. Share the ways in which you might agree with the argument. If you see things differently, explain why. Comment on your peer’s hunch/theory or guiding question. Show encouragement in your language! 

Grading:

I value your work and all of your efforts. All discussions in this course will be graded using a Rubric. There is a total of 25 possible points for this assignment, including your initial response and your 2 peer responses. Please do not forget to add the word count at the end of the post.

Please keep in mind some basic rules for netiquette (Links to an external site.):

– Be kind and respectful to others

– Use full sentences

– Don’t use too much jargon

– Treat others online as you wish to be treated

– Use language that supports others

You can view the Rubric by clicking on the 3 dots at the top of the page. Have fun!

Both Noble and McNamee point to technology companies such as Google and Facebook as threat to innovation. In “Algorithms of Oppression,” Noble debunks the notion that the lack of participation of Black women in technology jobs is a pipeline issue and points to the lack of critical race, gender and ethics courses in the curricula of engineering courses. She argues that “We need people

The main similarity between Roger McNamee’s “Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe” and Safiya Umoja Noble’s “Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism” is the fact that they both discuss how technology has evolved far from its primary purpose. When one considers the fact that technology was first developed to make people’s lives more comfortable, there is 

According to McNamee, Google and Facebook have fairly novel intentions of empowering users to get answers and share ideas. However, “with massive automation and artificial intelligence, they proved easy to manipulate” (241). He claims that “bad actors” exploit Google and Facebook to spread disinformation and capitalize on self-centered consumerism and civic disengagement. He encourages us to take