Associate Professor of Communication Ted Striphas was recently featured on an episode of the National Public Radio/Marketplace podcast, Actuality. Striphas, who is writing a new book on the computer algorithms that increasingly help to curate our news, information and culture, discussed the presence of “robot tastemakers” in today’s world.
Host Sabri Ben-Achour asked Striphas about online services like Spotify, Netflix and Google that suggest content and media based on user activity. Striphas suggested that users should question the criteria these services use for personalization and understand that human bias will always play a part in algorithm-based media services. "You could have an argument with a literary critic, but how do you have an argument with Google?” he asked. He also talked further about his upcoming book, Algorithmic Culture, which looks at how media is being hyper-personalized in modern society.
The podcast aired on March 23. Striphas’ interview begins at 14:45.