The Algorithm You Have to Stick With? : A Shift in Perspective.

Algorithmic personalization has been discussed controversially in public debate, lar- gely based on a mechanistic understanding of algorithms. Concretely, algorithms are understood within the framework of information theory as step-by-step-instructions. This understanding is useful from the angle of computer science, however, it puts little emphasis on the actual user behavior, which plays a far greater role than current research acknowledges. Therefore, this essay argues for a conceptual understanding of algorithmic personalization, which includes both the algorithmic operation mode as well as user behavior. Thus, algorithmic personalization can be understood as a dynamic communication process between the algorithms and its users. This conceptual understanding serves as a first step towards a theoretical perspective, that focusses on the algorithm-user relationship. Such a theoretical perspective may contribute to- wards the parity of algorithm and the user, whose agency is assumed to be equally influential.