Written by:
Kurt Thumlert, York University, Canada
Melanie McBride, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada
Brittany Tomin, University of Regina, Canada
Jason Nolan, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada
Heather Lotherington, York University, Canada
Taylor Boreland, York University, Canada

Abstract: Algorithms are interwoven in the fabric of digital culture. They increasingly mediate our experience of politics, culture, identity, and agency. Building on critical research in other fields, critical educational theorists are exploring the pervasive role of algorithms, AI, and ‘smart learning’ tools in reshaping what and how we learn. This work is articulating new critical literacies adequate to the challenges of ‘algorithmic culture’, where algorithms co-produce, with users, differentiated media experiences, knowledge, affinities, and communities, as well as new patterns of identity and embodied action. This article examines how educational theory is responding to the dramatic shifts in digital experience precipitated by algorithmic systems and explores how educators can support students in developing critical literacies and technical skills for navigating emerging algorithmically-mediated worlds. We offer conceptual and pedagogical heuristics to educational researchers and educators for navigating the challenges of algorithmic culture, as well as identify risks associated with the migration of big data techniques into formal educational spaces.

Keywords: algorithms, algorithmic literacy, data literacies, education, game design, social media