The spectrum of representation for ranked algorithms in a networked
social scene with unequal demographics (anytime there is a majority
and a minority)
Some bobas walk into a club…
They want to join the tikas, who make up the majority of partiers
on the dance floor. Throughout the night, an emcee robot—using a
ranking algorithm—is always highlighting ten individuals based on
how inclusively or exclusively the bobas and tikas are connecting
with each other.
The proportion of
Bobas (minority group)
and
Tikas (majority)
who the emcee robot is highlighting is not always equal to their
demographics in the group.
The proportion of the 10 individuals
that the emcee highlights can either underrepresent,
overrepresent, or equally (fairly) represent the ratio of bobas
and tikas in the bar. The proportion of bobas the emcee
(algorithm) highlights is not only based on the ratio of bobas to
tikas, but also on how well the bobas and tikas connect to their
own group and to others.