Resumen de Elusiveness of the Algorithm: TheCase for Computation in Mediaand Information Literacy
Based primarily on a case study of a civically engaged and place-based collaboration in Dublin,Ireland (involving traditional media scholarship and computational expertise that began in 2017),this paper argues for a wider program of critical media and information literacy that engages with thecomputational processes in which media production, consumption, and distribution are embedded.The authors argue that such program does not require direct teaching of computation to guaranteesuccess; it rather requires a process of dialog that enables computation’s logics, emergent properties,and lacunae to be better understood. In the context of the Global Framework for Media andInformation Literacy Cities, the program highlights Dublin’s important role as the European hometo many technology and social media companies. It also notes how a critical understanding of thecity’s corporate and data-processing infrastructure can be and have been encouraged through publicevents as exemplary activities, including workshops, public talks, conferences, and walking tours. Theauthors conclude that such program helps to demystify computation as it relates to media requiredfor the necessary expansion of democratic regulation and control.
