End of Module Project #1

While doing the data collection process I focused on one subject and based off all my searches on that which I knew would pop up a lot of stuff. I chose “Mormon” I chose this because my whole dads’ side is Mormon and my whole first part of my life I grew up Mormon as well so I knew I would have a good understanding of what types of different algorithms I was in. I used 3 different search inputs which were, Mormon, why do Mormon, Mormons are. Each input I searched brought up negative things about the Mormon religion and some facts about the Mormon religion but mostly articles that assumed things about the Mormon religion like it being a “Cult”. This caught me by surprise because I thought since I have never looked up anything bad about the Mormon religion and really anything about the Mormon religion because I was raised in it. If I did not know anything about the Mormon religion, I would only know what I see from social media which was kind of bad and some incorrect just because I use google for my main source when I want to know something. In the article “The Algorithmic Ecology: An Abolitionist Tool for Organizing Against Algorithms” bring up these questions “Who is the community that is targeted by and most impacted by this algorithm? What kinds of harm does the algorithm create or intensify? Are we understanding the extent of this harm by engaging with, listening to, and learning from the community?” which makes sense because everything you do is targeted and that’s how it gets created and it makes a bias in your mins without you even knowing. For my research on input about why are Mormons in General one of the top articles that came up were all about the church being a cult and that did not make sense to me because I have never thought about it that way even when I left the church. Something else I noticed when I did my YouTube searches was a theme and was looking at the video comments people that were in the church and left have more nice things to say rather than people that just look at social media and has never gone to the actual church. As I read the article “Revealed: This Is Palantir’s Top-Secret User Manual for Cops.” It talked a lot about how helpful their data is to do the job they do. With out the data they would have a hard time figuring out anything about a person and they start from nothing and build a whole data sheet and make it about people. I think that is important because it shows how serious data are and how they influence algorithms. I have learned that my group in googles algorithm is represented a little up tight and not friendly which is not true at all. I feel like if no one knew about the religion and they looked it up they would never want to join and just think it is a group of uptight people. The broader implications of Mormons would be very bias and algorithmic because it really is what pops up first is what you will think about the group. I hope my groups algorithm will change for the better.

Stop LAPD Spying Coalition, Free Radicals March 2. "The Algorithmic Ecology: An Abolitionist Tool for Organizing against Algorithms." 02 Mar. 2020. Web. 20 Feb. 2021.

"Revealed: This Is Palantir's Top-Secret User Manual for Cops." VICE. Web. 20 Feb. 2021.

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