Algorithms and the narration of past selves

ABSTRACT

This paper argues that the social power of algorithms comes to the fore through the narratives they generate about individuals. Proposing the notion of ‘algorithmic emplotment’, the article showcases the ways in which algorithms construct and tell narratives about us, participating in shaping people’s encounters with the world and their perceptions of it. The concept denotes the processes through which data, people, experiences, and complex temporalities are ordered, woven together, and presented as coherent, frictionless narratives in the present. Through an analysis of the smartphone feature called Apple Memories, the paper seeks to highlight the narratives algorithms tell, how they are constructed, and the potential impacts they may have on everyday life. The concept of algorithmic emplotment is used to scrutinise the ways in which people’s lives are rendered sequential, ordered, and ultimately meaningful and actionable by algorithmic processes.

KEYWORDS:

• Algorithm
• automation
• Apple Memories
• emplotment
• narrative
• machine learning

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Benjamin N. Jacobsen

Benjamin N. Jacobsen is a doctoral researcher at the University of York. His research explores the intersections of social media platforms, memory, and the social power of algorithms.