Yanzhi Xiao

When the Algorithm Tells Me Who I Am

The dilemma that the speaker seeks to solve is a modern one: are our identities determined by algorithms or by ourselves? She shares her anxiety online, and her social media feed is filled with similar content—no coincidence, just reinforcement. She uses Cooley’s “looking glass self” to demonstrate how algorithms have replaced human interaction as a means by which we define ourselves. But they don’t just influence our tastes; they program them. However, her talk does not provide a solution but a means by which we may find our freedom: being aware that we might simply look at a piece of media and think, “Who chose this for me?” A current Grade-11 student in Minhang Crosspoint Academy. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx