Information Literacy: How do algorithms work?

Why is it important for us to understand this?

An essential 21st century skill is learning how to distinguish information that is reliable from disinformation, misinformation and fake news. Information literacy requires an understanding of the media landscape and knowledge about how to use our critical thinking skills in this landscape.

If we understand a little about how algorithms shape the attention economy, it helps us analyze and evaluate the media we are consuming and interacting with.

Algorithms and the Attention Economy

Algorithms are sets of rules or series of steps. Today, algorithms are generally understood as processes run by computers that take inputs and produce outputs. Online algorithms collect information from people and websites and apps use that information to decide what to show you. Here are some examples:

• Search engines – like Google – try to show you results it thinks are relevant and useful
• Social media sites use algorithms to recommend what it thinks you will want to look at
• Video streaming services (like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, YouTube, and others) use algorithms to suggest what to watch next.

The attention economy is an online business model in which tech companies compete for people’s attention — while also gathering data about them — to serve them personalized ads.

Building lessons with practitioners

How can we understand how algorithms work and how they shape our online experience?

One place to find lessons to help us learn the skills and knowledge we need is CTRL-F.

In this resource we explore the CTRL-F algorithm lesson.

In this lesson, participants:

• demonstrate an understanding of algorithms
• explain how Google uses algorithms to provide search results
• analyze how algorithms can be manipulated