Reading Annotation 3.4

In the final chapters of the text, it seems as if the core premises are clearly defined and contextualized. The value of how definition and categorization has been done in previous cataloging of information in major databases, most notably in the Library of Congress. The efforts of actors like the students at Dartmouth and other activists that saw fundamental flaws in the categorization and labelling of data in libraries. In previous chapters, it was clearly shown how much labelling and the lack of correcting biases therein can affect outcomes in the real world when it comes to marginalized and vulnerable groups; in essence, the data served to deliver information that would reinforce long established prejudices and the underpinnings of a superiority/inferiority narrative in the consciousness of Americans descended from European ancestry. The aspect of the bias in the previous systems of cataloguing has produced a demonstrable effect in how information is gathered and presented in commercial search engines, and most readily shown in search results that feature sponsored content. Many times in my own emails, I will receive solicitous correspondence in Spanish, and even in offers that come through traditional paper mailings. This is most likely based only on my last name, as I don't speak Spanish. The only answer that seems plausible to me for this is that in some measure, a minimal amount of my personal data has been used to influence commercial correspondences regarding myself. I feel that this is demonstrative of the beginning techniques of the "prosumer" model that is becoming a major driver in ecommerce and it's emerging business practices as it consumes and transforms the age old supply and demand practices. This dynamic is interesting in it's design, as it is meant to tailor the online experience toward the consumer, making use of the audience as commodity, or "audience commodity". As this stylized demographic data can provide a more user friendly experience for some, the prevailing narratives of otherness are even further bolstered by the Digital Divide. As the input affects the output, access is readily reflected by what can come up in web searches. Web searches are far less likely to show results that take into account that the consumer is not a White American of a certain age with certain interests. Due to the Digital divide, people of color are unable to compete with the sheer amounts of data entered into search engines or web based AI's of any sort; As communities of color are far less likely to have access or the financial ability to afford services such as Google Home, Amazon Prime, or Apple TV, they are far less likely to find results that are representative of their interests. As this is an ongoing trend where any technological revolution has happened, the efforts to effect change toward inclusion have been met with equal efforts to leave the status quo unaffected. As bias in the algorithms has been displayed and taken advantage of by large corporations, so has it been used to disseminate information that appeals to certain consumers. The information, as it is more often than not, is heavily tailored to an audience that have certain viewpoints and is made more palatable. This has led to a much higher incidence of information being spread that is highly sensationalized, misleading, or false. The issue with this lies in the prosumer model, where companies and vendors are on the lookout for people who ascribe to a certain outlook. This is how it happened with Dylann Roof, looking for materials concerning "black on white crime". Prior to his shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Robert Gregory Bowers was very active on social media outlet Gab, which is known for having a high number of users that espouse and spread White Nationalist content. John Timothy Earnest was active on 8-Chan, where he posted his manifesto shortly before carrying out an armed attack on a synagogue in Poway, California. He claimed that he had been influenced by the actions of Brenton Harrison Tarrant. Tarrant is the man who perpetrated attacks on the Islamic community in Christchurch, New Zealand in March of 2019. Tarrant himself had been highly active on Alt-Right message boards, and even Cited Anders Breivik as one of his influences. Breivik is the man who carried out a mass killing in Norway in 2011, whom also had written a manifesto; a part of his manifesto was copied directly from the manifesto of the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. There is a real body count that can begin in relation to these real inequalities, and the results of how information from these algorithms played a definite role.