The Common Read Experience, a program for first-year students designed to foster intellectual conversations and academia relationships, has evolved from a fall semester series into a year-long experience to enhance students’ exposure to vital societal topics. This includes bringing in speakers such as critically acclaimed author Safiya Noble.
During the talk, Noble, an internet studies scholar and author of Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, explored how digital media overlaps with racial, gender, cultural and technological issues. During a critical time where technology dominates society, Noble provided extensive insight on the ways that people are affected by the platforms they use daily.
This year, Common Read Experience organizers chose Kathy O’Neil’s book Weapons of Math Destruction because it explores how algorithms bolster pre-existing inequalities, a similar theme to that of Noble’s book.
Noble explained how search engine results spread false information by reinforcing racist and sexist stereotypes. For example, during a 2011 Google search of “Black girls,” the results included mainly pornographic and hypersexualized content. Noble argued that technology companies need to be held accountable for their algorithms that target marginalized groups and influence people’s perception of the world around them.
“I think this journey of studying the tech sector makes me realize that it will be harder than ever to create more fair societies because many of the technologies are ‘making life good,’ as Kathy O’Neil writes in her book,” said Noble. “They’re making life better for people who already have good lives and worse for people whose lives are already hard. What I’m trying to do with my work is uncover how that’s happening and try to intervene upon it.”
Noble spoke to a packed house of students who were a part of the Common Read program and other students who were impressed with her work.
“The fact that Noble brought in different aspects about how technology is impacting society, especially with search engines, was absolutely fascinating,” said Marco McClain, a sophomore majoring in sociology. “I knew that these things were racialized, but I didn’t know the extent to which they’ve been racialized. I think that it’s really important that these ideas are seen more and it made a huge impact on me.”
“The way in which Noble detailed how algorithms reinforce systemic racism was eye-opening and thought-provoking, and complemented this year’s Common Read Experience book,” said Kelli Smith, Common Read Experience committee member and assistant vice president for student success. “I’ll never look at a Google search in the same way and she inspired action for change.”
Noble said that people in every field must contend with algorithms, artificial intelligence and other predictive technologies and that she was happy to be at Binghamton University to broaden the conversation about the harms that come from them.
“The Common Read Experience began as a way to help students gain perspectives and engage in a dialogue on important social issues affecting the campus community and the nation at large,” said Sean Fenty, director of the Writing Initiative. “It has continued to help students engage in such issues and build community by establishing a common basis from which to discuss these issues, and by offering activities and events to help encourage that dialogue and build that community.”
Noble’s talk is only one of the events that the Common Read committee organized to encourage intellectual development and differing viewpoints.
“This past year, not only did the campus provide an opportunity for students to connect with their collegiate professors and other faculty to support engagement when they arrived, we provided additional programming efforts, including a movie screening of The Social Dilemma, followed by a discussion, and brought our keynote speaker, Noble, to campus,” said Peter Nardone, committee member and director of The Union. “What has been most rewarding is seeing not only students, but also faculty and staff participate in the entire experience of the Common Read, bringing the campus community together on an important topic.”
The Common Read Experience continues with The Annual Public Debates and Deliberation Challenge scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, in the UU-Mandela Room, when students will dispute prominent issues related to this year’s book, Weapons of Math Destruction.
For more information about the Common Read Experience, visit the web. https://www.binghamton.edu/offices/success/first-year-students/common-read/index.html
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https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/common-read-experience-hosts-critically-acclaimed-author-binghamton-news-binghamton/
