Drawing Algorithms
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An algorithm, drawn by a 27-year-old female doing a post-doctorate in communication in Switzerland.

So, then the next, and also last, drawing then would be, could you drew me how an algorithm works? Hmm [laughs] And now you can explain why you draw it, what it means. The human hand. Okay. Could you explain it to me Why? There's always human, individual or team, who actually made, or modify, come up with the algorithms, which means there's subjective values which is embedded in the algorithm. There is artificial selection process of certain part of internet or information is prioritized, while others will be of considered as not that important. This kind of selection, what to be shown what not to be shown, it's a manmade process. Okay. So, algorithm is for you, strongly connected to the person coding or creating this, or the person's? Exactly. Okay, good. Or what company, company values. Okay. So, the hand could also be a company? Yeah it's not just individual. It can be an entity. Okay. In what context did you learn this about? In what context did you get your knowledge about algorithm? Algorithms? Where did it come from? I research it. [laughs] Yeah? It's part on my own research. Okay. Yeah, as well I researched censorship. For example, in China social media what kind of thing is considered not suitable to be shown to the public. What is considered as politically sensitive content? In most of the cases they are actually using human censors to delete, and also they have automatic detection algorithm there, but you know what kind of content that got removed from social media in China. It's all depends on the company's interpretation of policy document from the government. Okay. That's where you came into contact with algorithms and just started studying them and you tried to understand them, how they work and stuff like that? Yeah. From my side it's more like reverse engineer and try to figure out what kind of their thing they want to delete, to remove, from the system. Yeah. In your own private life, are there some contact points to algorithms? Do you think sometimes about algorithms like next to your professional life? Yeah, recently I started to- with my life on TikTok, so when I'm on TikTok, I find these highly addictive, and personally I'm just interested in how it so easily hooks people up, like you cannot stop watching all the tiny videos, young people, kids, make these days. So, I'm still curious about it, and just not psychologically I just find it fascinating. I was very skeptical before I downloaded the app. It's a Chinese app, so for the first time a Chinese app become international sensation. So kind of curious. I want to check it out, and then, it's very fun. Now when you use it, do you always think, Oh, the algorithm behind this is interesting how it works, how the algorithm works? Yeah. Yeah? Yeah, and also actually I'm now studying, comparing, TikTok in China and TikTok International version. So how, even though it's more or less the same product, but when they're make international, they're also changing the algorithm to make it, the interface, everything's different. So you say an algorithm has a culture in a way, but it's- of course, because, as I said, it's created by people for certain values, for the ideology embedded in there. When TikTok is working in China, they have to obey the Chinese government's policies for what information you cannot get sprayed on it. But when it's international, it has to change. Even the audience is different. Here, outside China, it's pretty much teenagers, young people use it, but in China it's a completely different story. Okay. Thank you very much.