Annotated Bibliography

Assignment 2: Annotated Bibliography

In Brief: This assignment is worth 30%.

You are to write an annotated bibliography of 1200-1800 words in total, locating and summarizing 6 sources for use in your essay, outside of the required readings.

1. Your annotations should be 200 words in length for undergraduates, 300 words for postgraduates (total = 1200-1800 words).

2. Please include your most up to date thesis statement at the start of your annotated bibliography.

3. This assignment is to be submitted via the Blackboard assignment upload tool before the due time. The marking rubric is available in Blackboard in a folder on the ‘Assignment submissions’ page

Instructions

4. You must gather together 6 resources not located in the ‘Required readings’ that will inform your final essay.

5. It is acceptable, and advised, to use some of the ‘Further readings’ listed in the Study Package/Reading List in this assignment. But you should also do some further independent research in order to find material best suited to your specific topic and thesis statement.

6. Use the library databases, Google Scholar, and the Directory of Open Access Journals.

7. Gather up a variety of resources including monographs (books), chapters in edited collections, and journal articles published by academic /scholarly publishers.

8. Reports and Government or NGO documents may also be relevant to your particular topic/approach.

9. Read these sources carefully and draft evaluative summaries of each source, as described further below.

10. You must also correctly reference and list each source in alphabetical order in a full reference list at the end of your document.

An annotated bibliography is a list of resources related to a subject or area of study that makes a short assessment about the resource’s relevance and usefulness to the subject of study. Your annotations must make a clear statement about the purpose and use of the article. You should clearly and concisely summarise the key findings, argument, and conclusions put forth. You should then comment on why the information provided is useful in terms of your essay topic, and what key points or parts of your essay the resource relates to.

Go here for assistance in purpose, structure, and layout of an annotated bibliography: https://student.unsw.edu.au/annotated-bibliography. (Note - do not use the coloured numbers in the site example in your own draft.)

You must clearly indicate all references and sources. Any material you refer to from written sources, online, or anywhere must be clearly indicated; all of your references should be listed at the end of your document, and you should follow the APA style of citation.

Criteria for Assessment:

You will be assessed on how well the annotated bibliography:

1. Provides concise annotations, clearly summarising the key findings/arguments;

2. Your annotated sources and your evaluations of them clearly link to your chosen essay topic;

3. Are clearly-written, with grammar and expression appropriate for academic writing;

4. Demonstrate correct APA referencing;

5. Demonstrate critical and meaningful engagement with key unit themes and concerns.

Topic of My Essay

"Entertainment and popular culture – games”

Sample 1 for this Assignment

“The effect of big data and algorithms on everyday life: Ethics, identity and economy”(This is Topic of essay)

“An ethical shortfall and inadequate regulation in digital platforms, means algorithms can generate imbalanced data and construct prejudiced categorisations of identity.” (Thesis statement)

Reference 1

Bucher, T. (2016). The algorithmic imaginary: Exploring the ordinary affects of facebook algorithms. Information, Communication & Society, 20(1), 30-44. https://doi-org.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/10.1080/1369118X.2016.1154086

In this article, Bucher questions the impact algorithms instil on personal identity and peoples’ perceptions, knowledge and experiences within the Facebook platform. She unpacks the theory of the algorithmic imaginary , explained as exploring the possibilities that can evolve out of the analysis of algorithms. To assist in her research, Bucher surveys Twitter users for keywords regarding peoples’ feelings towards Facebook algorithms. Her aim was to analyse peoples’ daily interactions on the platform to assess the extent of social influence algorithms affect; and further, how those experiences alter human expectations toward digital automated systems, in turn, shaping algorithmic function. This article supports my argument because as Bucher identifies “Algorithms create a ‘cybernetic relationship to identification’ by constructing ‘categories of identity’”. This study is limited to Twitter users and for consistency, only applied to Facebook algorithms. Bucher outlines significant grievances regarding biased and incorrect profiling and moreover, the marketing advantages algorithms produce. The questions remain; how much do algorithms correctly predict our identities? How do we personally identify with automatic profiling and, how does this profiling lead to further social constructs? Bucher’s research assists and supports my argument by documenting examples of biased and constructed identities and, further questions whether those assumptions have the ability to shape people’s identity.

Reference 2

De Vries, K. (2010). Identity, profiling algorithms and a world of ambient intelligence. Ethics and Information Technology, 12(1), 71-85. https://link-springer-com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs10676-009-9215-9.pdf

De Vries explores how ambient intelligent technologies, (meaning automated and somewhat autonomous); use statistical inference to profile, stereotype and shape personal online identities. To assist in her research, she examines ideologies surrounding identity such as idem (how we are the same), and ipse, (how we are different); she further explores how identity is connected to technologies and environment (apparatus). She uses her research to demonstrate that the use of algorithms, while convenient, generate information based on statistical inference and therefore propagate social constructs and stereotypes surrounding identity. This article will assist my argument because De Vries reveals the generic categorisations that algorithms generate in relation to identity. Ambient intelligent technologies are quite young and therefore predictions concerning identity constructs are difficult to determine. De Vries concludes that technologies such as ambient intelligence are consistent with the persistence of human technology advances but, acknowledges the probability of such technology leading to greater difficulty in defining one’s personal identity and moreover, the persistence of categorisation and discrimination. This article will support my argument because it highlights the democratic and ethical importance of personal identity and, recognises an imbalance in automated online data systems facilitating democratic right and freedom.

Reference 3

Diakopoulos, N. (2014). Algorithmic accountability. Digital Journalism, 3(3), 398-415. https://doi-org.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/10.1080/21670811.2014.976411

In this article Diakopoulos explains the automated functions algorithms perform such as; prioritisation, classification, association and filtering; he acknowledges the need for algorithmic transparency and presents a model of research in computational journalism which would assist in greater regulation and algorithmic accountability. The research included detailed interviews with four journalists who had used the new research model called reverse engineering. Reverse engineering is the thorough extraction of information from an algorithm to analyse the system functions. In addition to the four journalists, three investigative journalists were questioned to assess the results. Understanding how reverse engineering can assist in the investigation of algorithmic transparency was the purpose of this study. This article is useful to my research because Diakopoulos argues “There are myriad ways in which algorithms interact with and potentially problematize public life, including how they necessitate the datafication of the world, create complex feedback loops with social data, or encourage the creation of calculated publics”. Although the study was a qualitative approach, the sample study was small and therefore further research is required. Diakopoulos concludes that reverse engineering can illuminate algorithmic information output, and in turn provide better analysis of what input information algorithms pay attention to. However, algorithms and the data they generate are objects created by humans, and therefore the influences and biases are also human, requiring human evaluation for high-level decisions. This article will be a solid addition to my research because it provides an excellent analysis in the functions of algorithmic agency and, the generated biases in everyday life, furthermore it demonstrates solutions in achieving better transparency and regulation.

Reference 4

Finn, E. (2017). What is an algorithm. What algorithms want: Imagination in the age of computing (pp.15-56). https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/curtin/detail.action?docID=4819947

In this chapter Finn provides a history and explanation of algorithms. He demonstrates their concealed ubiquitousness and unpacks theories about human reliance, dependence, unfamiliarity and future concerns regarding the growth and use of algorithms. Finn’s research outlines a history of human/machine dependence and he highlights the human desire to effectively calculate all that exists. He further explores the creation of cybernetics, the use and scope of symbolic language, and technical cognition. The purpose of his research in this chapter is to illustrate how algorithms support effective computability, meaning how we comprehend social, biological and cultural systems and the consequences of computation to humanity. This chapter is useful to my topic because it explains algorithms and their impact on everyday life in detail. The main limitation in this research is that notions of humanity and global computerisation are westernised and do not take into account a vast majority of people who have restricted access to the digital world. Finn concludes that it is essential for more human awareness, regulation and ethical ability as computer systems and algorithms grow and become more automated. This article assists in my overall knowledge of algorithms, how they coincide with the everyday and, further enables the exploration of identity between human and machine.

Reference 5

Gane, N., Venn, C., & Hand, M. (2007). Ubiquitous surveillance: Interview with katherine hayles. Theory, Culture & Society, 24(7–8), 349–358. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276407086405

This article is an interview with Katherine Hayles who discusses the growing use and usefulness of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Technology). It is her belief that RFIDs are a fundamental piece in modern technologies that are used alongside other data gathering technologies to assist in the relocation of computation into the everyday environment. Hayles research includes spatial classification mapping, and the analysis of databases and narrative alongside RFIDs. Her aim is to discover the outcomes of these integrated systems and their extensive affect to cultural developments. This article assists my research because it highlights the scale, sources, and extent to which data is gathered and what it is used for in the everyday. This research is from 2007 so there are likely advancements in the research of this topic and additionally, technical advancements, which limit the accuracy of scope. Hayles concludes that technologies like RFID have many benefits to the accuracy of data systems and societal functions. She notes however, where proprietary owners have control and power over these data sets, an underlying risk regarding privacy and regulation exists. I will use the information in this article to outline the ubiquitousness, integration, regulation, and interaction of data gathering in the everyday.

Reference 6

Loeber, K. (2018). Big data, algorithmic regulation, and the history of the cybersyn project in chile, 1971-1973. Social Sciences, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7040065

Loeber identifies the social, cultural, political, technical and economic contexts in which big data operate and, recognises the complexities in policy regulation due to the ubiquitous nature, lack of definition, and ownership surrounding big data in these broad contexts. Loeber focuses on three points; political environments and their potential authority over algorithmic regulation; how data storage can be implemented more securely, and; the extent to which political participation and democracy require data-driven governance? To assist in her research, Loeber focusses on the Cybersyn project which was governed under a socialist economy in Chile. Drawing comparisons based on the points, she evaluates social methods used in the project and, analyses how they could be applied in the collection and distribution of big data in capitalist societies today. This article supports my argument by demonstrating the importance of regulated data collection and, highlights alternate political methods in the regulation and governance of data and algorithms. There is limited research on the Cybersyn project. Loeber argues that technology progress is ingrained in human society and dependent on social conditions and political governance. This article offers insight to the complexities of social conditions and recognises human governance requirements in the regulation of big data and algorithms. It will help me form a well-rounded argument.