Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

The Burden of Choice: Recommendations, Subversion, and Algorithmic Culture
The Burden of Choice: Recommendations, Subversion, and Algorithmic Culture
The Burden of Choice: Recommendations, Subversion, and Algorithmic Culture
Ebook407 pages5 hours

The Burden of Choice: Recommendations, Subversion, and Algorithmic Culture

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

()

Read preview

About this ebook


The Burden of Choice examines how recommendations for products, media, news, romantic partners, and even cosmetic surgery operations are produced and experienced online. Fundamentally concerned with how the recommendation has come to serve as a form of control that frames a contemporary American as heteronormative, white, and well off, this book asserts that the industries that use these automated recommendations tend to ignore and obscure all other identities in the service of making the type of affluence they are selling appear commonplace. Focusing on the period from the mid-1990s to approximately 2010 (while this technology was still novel), Jonathan Cohn argues that automated recommendations and algorithms are far from natural, neutral, or benevolent. Instead, they shape and are shaped by changing conceptions of gender, sexuality, race, and class. With its cultural studies and humanities-driven methodologies focused on close readings, historical research, and qualitative analysis, The Burden of Choice models a promising avenue for the study of algorithms and culture.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 1, 2019
ISBN9780813597836
The Burden of Choice: Recommendations, Subversion, and Algorithmic Culture
Author

Jonathan Cohn

Jonathan Cohn is a senior editor at The New Republic, where he has written about national politics and its impact on American communities for the past decade. He is also a contributing editor at The American Prospect and a senior fellow at the think tank Demos. Cohn, who has been a media fellow with the Kaiser Family Foundation, has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Mother Jones, Rolling Stone, Slate, and The Washington Monthly. A graduate of Harvard, he lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with his wife and two children.

Read more from Jonathan Cohn

Related to The Burden of Choice

Related ebooks

Technology & Engineering For You

View More

Related articles

Related categories

Reviews for The Burden of Choice

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings

0 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    The Burden of Choice - Jonathan Cohn

    2^book_preview_excerpt.html}˲ǕT'bxć$,IeiP tp;a>E_rZ{gV-Us?~LJO>mv܇mxߖ}w᏿CSC6*{1oB*˛"{Xڮu0v?=q>oRNW]V<Grs5VlƟ'_&d?km.N$<·jwe]6UOxj~6qطUr‡ɹN9?̺sgg8֧@=?=o}-hw?d=m6X>[s[mB)«ЧPnK3;}o>7U;o]]񰾾 6lvӏuu7% oӗݖmVmZOw~\}UjO{{WeW>w;_O^lOXnU!x~Sm6Unv;3|:rCQ9'Οmlؗ8ۮn|q{8un?d?_9_>pe Eb6;@Q'~ 2@VǜX*-̍aV 5:C Еٟ!ԫ9i!;)Kyj!c fxtw^5UȐUvxWNYx }Ckwwl|IYeazqSc:ˏzoxĸ~t; X;)k~_-PTu,aavë}'l| oULahނ~[2 tu֠N/RwựDŽ!_6sbaOggbSJ@A ?>_iW] XG_ BW8_#AK?G , lꛖ&_7ClEiH= 2mjWM{B ^ps]:}DUwgb@ȝ]w&~ OJ8TZU- QaCyNnD* T?f1ZS۱*%ZNh^IѴҊà uN "{REآe`2a*< [78umTA 7b=Pvk2+F#AI_5@)r)iޝ6:`YaRںr)k}epM%.rWv@aF %;w_>%w%1`(!# kK^W:l 4;&(6ZRr+^]Бzfx5t!8nsȁ=Xd7lr8.WvQ/J3$H4 ß=HɇׯG=6C'+y ޵Uq{)mY@?5 eC[:za8DrU|w8!r~ 4T0( IrշZb߼#J]2<(/B ހhao Zp8Rw-&g)ϴnH[HNKUa 7fG/JAm/v(^DGTG5ܝ8 FʋZ=Ǚmh(<lvxumpހBdӶFc9ȹ#KZ= Pٯ7CB-;aZ~rZfOcD-; ^;'b{yTO6Hg}n?Wѓ'`+RrpzEKq4XdcJvHOv\~-k݊]<6T<NE)kqt ؃GՇ!!E8׃'O./BI/-$ t@Mߝx/yq/7-Ӎ(rR:Wwܝv5 $}hOª ]úQڦBVKmk>&'5xVMkp+^9֙`j{2Jip3vWQw_7=/?X$^UC@wU$Ya^~#<)ݹC[},լ#5O|;v߇0[6EySޅ"P\d\|"G08p-iG1I0كbǽH  '7##<1Jt4*f$%I@~d bgVtfG8<c'+I{E=& ٷᲨpAhq$סs:iՈivs2 u:(T2}hܓWb,2JNkUe_>CE=pCt1@U4I?'E8Tx / D*W) KQCs6{n9mײE|cBvʼnngl'\ Nc0im5t1>0#)/IP`4)`LZdj7VĨ@kD}[ 8epj s(*3/Ҽ(A|?N##ADɓ 5>]H +1\-4L`^@5gPT(Zљ=b\Q/ؒ\>cy~_6 Jxp yQ#]Xlt|7;C/|>-ol; %Mˌ~㌫1zAwGծTEsJV9b8&$KXw #%?^P CC<тENTZ=9,r4Z9`:˭yj)L[+cjZ2@6,evUPy U0:e7ڧh5 A EdCmq[!fby"O˲ v2rcgr*Rx} 6¶ɱ5UפL}0目u@xFrY_5Ftݮm*R0|XˠXX+:n(>]X&E` =&053l S@5qQQhŠ&# ܆M DXů@Va󮖁T:2ۻ*i)uǿ߄Q /)Ԣt#2GM0ʯcjkǶUFE9qK/H4&=bQX1 &V=s`l (*؎BB)D_eU8\COhu \&DԜ+q8d~(%"A4S=5zK-£ǭeK ">:7sgcAϢ4PPLWJ&n R64pUpK Tf╞/KɩvB$mR񻴤\r6C]qq7|GZ X씈66>,A#P&g䅕̝ Tatwje(]eHM**08{B GlZgs&DDҵBAa588Еt(||`n =PBMɨ' `,+( xΈ̽RR,ʧ9Ԛ/Cf%u'Ҡ\oD:$ُ{6 IDɽ:x{ʔЄJ4תNfqQmjTOM񎒅cXnY||}L粋sTnzDw(sX/RR7mD製V+Hnmxw6{QkI6յֲRB@flgeppޭ ${.JwIgkbqaT;`;y;ZaT5`4pFN"G0պ, L+!_oO:&&!=ֈ@(cPd3~_cT jü}va[!PJ"*-(cҚIm& y,/&6QcS-)9@O/┩]111A}87Ԝ߄V8OHb'B7p~*,31YJB6!fܹq*ǶϳkPПidbb*eQ[M Ww*%+25 _{\$ՙ)V[ {?S"èՀ VZGߘS^vc}p֫x*ތ9.Z|F\ F&zܨ%Od>/ Nmq8ah{:zS),KYt\00g; clDi-!er4ڇȈbr·-'ߍ~*_cqFteVmPc%6tz+ո) =ޣ4E+%ڛ<՝HteQt,j(40?Udu׳l2}Fc`Л: @0LKPPL:P85:;*B$)ҷП*vGgy1lv { Q?WEmw G3g&ߪTmF{Š7zz"3AU]4E14"ǘm8#AHpфi:j齾t Sd߶kp C00zu1F iNZ5٨[\kB}b18.߻s}k^(IUwr\eqDWK,:kW9*iNz[+[" j(TM0_׌l + e0bg=zQi m4I&|aXI`\% C ~gY5LkLFOjlceiTE5`"fcXUDMJ+>ܒWGduXIZ,Z,r8c|ZRgj))'b 4!տ7ĶV0yt::S7aT Qop*UX} Ѫ[AeR"6 xgIrrlrQW8q ,+c`(r(ZXްQֽQB- [R5]H甲2*"2.;(SIؼۍӐ>]4kX֗@1I6ϼ`=h`n[rYQ>p>&Ofہ*Vmld̿&*Rebs$+$qMٵܠe;=$+X\Ӥ-d\% `Iq͹#klxw/:{b꛷Ow9,Rg%>`%G{2\}P&[':($+6nYvVyCkSzJo#E)#ƭSQ%w`vZɍ0"?bX2{\5uqv0%L/gOVvԪAm*e6 ~~X.L#CJS6^/ =kPx+fOx9\53UɧeOc 4%3 {+O;Dev2YTYŠk {Y˓VnUFUwZ>ғ"ˮi/O XX$2Bj$q\!7(SATRIbU3{{J܃-[?. Ư8!W^A<*rVZA? H@E&D# ;i86mvͭoOY>S9ۿLE8g.V ]((\vVj U"X\'͉~R/0.4%ړuivY^U-ߜO,l%Aqϟ5M$Yo9j5d~-9}nN++g*5*-?VgU`,^b>ُRng$VzeBϷT n-462+ơbTuxjj5ysǐMfy*q,4$g\̉,;V3&w}>! -_ƲEh+( ztgprkχŖdTh+5hsMY8cIgg14cEfBrk'jJH(>U^›1WЬS,eVe9]f$ξj{՚= 7io> |-.1;|;xm'qc֭Er.-LW R`u-|{o-^VZ~|ǂrU} u$6cfdf]fS-^ u֣oU^l;5ht PIV[ӕbZn}dW0o*fջ({(ˍ&Wڀs{l/?|]`7S Ox)߉vi1-6#3wfZW[N`άk\ɂ`4 e %d)Ig[&xj9ےI'xf\ʥn/ (G-֟굻 GW":tjf p3ۏ$Mϛ!mISxܟTܰ/ă+oԊ-D btrHFR@r.M瘥h Vm6 ,~;3f2gQ[D2h jlmjB}p_f.*go#gvs(**:dM߸$-Rx~ѣ1!n^X':GL e%֮JR,-]J)D,U06@%DF Aqߞz'\J4 GjٴX qFUe 顸Slp=P/oЭ:y흗FM-S(Jt8!͞]16ȣau h?S󶴔e|*NBO7U)+8bu vءuhGYP5qSSZ4W}0fa4Y bmm*Mj&R&wܣRcø҇>5Z94{:XSE?M4U%,K̞M@ i dz[ĩKw_t,^nRKM[oq2&5o|Mq +GOH~er9Q-ٮmg~T5.1DaCP>ܼiyG i5*׆QTnALVhg9+NNM%j|{ plު(T/X' _=rgAWN}Oop4eS9kXwB#<&a=/^)(1hwS^(I}Y$q`07!nv{w޿V|eU[LP x%kv| RiHi*3wNˣyOKԍ%(5}=>2ꇿzqᇗ6ٕ캦ˠկonRȞ 's3)GN!&vk֬/p88:b_=i_yjS' u ڭ줁}HVD=;a, VD:ةȦcAA^!GKvM}=DMYA 0v執8'7/"`6V~K=Kh$M؋. Һmf:b{SVDhmLzO(|3Λmp#u>votsGrP;uk_)4Ѧϳ.@4 y{\*x|w]}r=.ȧsod G-(Wb35*A׷xALbƘ4a`*7@ 9o 妞)ner0 V`aw-̀wLhgV'SAy|硺(2| T( AN>cUKbMq|&2@VYf 6\]sӴ>Fu1,Z3= VG ): XB&de}K$@6Ԧbx+4e`Uʧ[2=0t:u.qaΎhYiҙu<%"I41ܤMo2Ɨ3cM+Xvu /-Ϝk8XMN poՕ ofde{m0nk7lKjr8"ɘF; @q8Cly%K䣥VӗUiU H S $1V4ZN͇[&NxrYę듛 #ȗ{)_WV`BlmucgZR}IjD+ڵY8e. 7JqW+Ϣ`khY q774%C'b&;sKrs1{.]"pF&)ߕl&clR/(*6(*l P.F r /oؙf,- y911Ks}g,r|!㳳v@@ LR%iMD72PrU6ZNm|U[.iNARSJ᜴o꒳77);419F&p%vTfm8汒r֎cL*.E/9Zsmuze?-i {E<>"<<.L^YM_U|>m6nb@6#_' LT:AOv(R?>ǥb+X.eǥY*ohxێ,R6ًvUg0jbY闤>k]"vTBd؟1һies7N,;L7i o#T!19ͻ|ྡ튤泲ϳ`4#6 _ Plc']e k,f> S6NӂCU74Ơ!cq2 #Kӹ2 1XF{_6/q >zm*zl Dp-!U,2{ybJj%03awc Z{6@,ԕWVr T֛hƃ1k.{bTٴt6Kp&y͗DMdF4M%%uAjQVPGe[H\T _QnC?5Zad0`CsxnjaQJ:1g/f!];KCok2kyJ\SƞwvƉ.XhcGzj!&OdpUN{ofB"[T: V3u3ɜJ;xƹ΀Ð xýXt)Ty6_ލ kǵ̇δ#K!PS{-Z[" f6a!o>uY@3V~?΋Bʞh$RTMY
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1