“If They Can’t Find You, It’s All for Naught”: Variation in Algorithmic Literacy Among Creative Entrepreneurs

• In Event: Digital Skills & Inequality

Abstract

There is increasing concern and scholarly discussion about how algorithms influence users’ online experiences. Despite this growing scholarship, little empirical work asks whether users recognize how algorithms affect their online actions and whether they are able to take steps to intentionally address algorithmic influence. This paper draws on interviews with creative entrepreneurs from across the United States to examine the extent to which they understand how algorithms may impact their sales successes. Interviewees reveal varying levels of algorithmic literacy. While many recognize that algorithms affect their online shops’ visibility, only some know how to set things up so as to improve their chances of reaching potential customers. Additionally, few understand how algorithms decide the fate of their works’ visibility.

Authors

• Erin Flynn Klawitter, Northwestern U

• Eszter Hargittai, U. Zurich