Process

 I was inspired by the Netflix documentary “The Social Dilemma” and the need for human agency to remedy the effects of social media. I wanted to visually represent this unforeseen consequence of personalizing a public experience. The collage further explores the privacy concerns of personal data collection/applications from my thinkpiece. I looked through applications like instagram, facebook, netflix, etc and my frequent shopping sites to find examples of creepy algorithms. One unexpected discovery was my amazon algorithm. My amazon feed recommended that I repurchase a set of teas I had purchased at the beginning of the fall semester under the “Buy it Again” section. I found the timing extraordinary in that each box of 2 that I had purchased had about a month and a half supply’s worth. I checked my tea box and surprisingly, I only had a few of each left. By purchasing my tea online, I had unintendedly given the amazon algorithm knowledge of my tea preferences and purchasing habits. As I continued to look through my apps and websites, I continued to find compelling recommendations' and ‘suggestions’. That brought me to wonder, did the algorithms know more about me and my preferences than I did myself? Or were these recommendations subtly shaping my preferences?