Human-Software Entanglement and YouTube: Algorithms Mediate the Practices of Teachers and Producers

• In Event: Technology, Instruction, Cognition and Learning SIG: Relationships Among Technology, Instruction, Cognition, and Learning

Abstract

Teachers are increasingly turning to YouTube as a source of educational videos in mainstream secondary education. The platform is managed by a series of algorithms that control search results and recommendations, optimised to maximise user watch time. The hidden impact of these algorithms on educational YouTube video producers and secondary educators is an example of human-software entanglement. This exploratory paper reports on a case-study of nine Australian secondary teachers and a content analysis of public statements by two popular YouTube producers to examine the role of the algorithm in education. A model is proposed that suggests teachers are largely unaware of the influence of the algorithms on their video searches, while producers focus their labour on satisfying its demands.

Author

• Matthew Fyfield, Monash University