Beyond the Algorithm
January 31, 2020
Recently, an organization invited me to attend its professional networking event, with the promise that, “Our advanced matchmaking technology and predictive analytics will curate a customized evening of meaningful connections.” On the one hand, I was not surprised by the premise; indeed, as anyone who has spent any time online can attest, organizations are constantly gathering data in an effort to personalize our experiences, be it through preferred news sources, music and film, or products for purchase. On the other hand, this invitation seemed the stuff of caricature. Has anyone ever gone to a social gathering in the hopes of enjoying a “curated customized evening of meaningful connections?”
Meaningful connections being made are strengthened at Browning every day. While we are intentional about the kinds of experiences we want our boys to have, and though we are committed to knowing each boy to better serve his learning and social needs, ours is not a community where meaningful connections are curated and customized on the basis of predictive analytics. There is no algorithm for creating a wise, courageous, loving community; rather, it emerges through hundreds of unscripted, occasionally inefficient, and often unpredictably beautiful personal interactions. We believe that every community member has a story that is both worth telling and worth hearing. This is why we encourage broad participation in a variety of endeavors by our boys, strong mentoring relationships between our staff and our students, and opportunities for boys to express themselves in sport, on stage, and in the studio. Senses of joy and purpose in a boy are often not a matter of logical progression but instead emerge from a series of seemingly unconnected interpersonal encounters or a moment of serendipitous inspiration with an admired peer or mentor. Such meaning-making lives through human interactions and relationships far more than the application of “Big Data.”
“We recognize that our boys are more than just a set of skills to be maximized; they are also themselves stories who can inspire, ennoble, and transcend.”
None of this is to argue that computers, online technology, or electronic applications are unwelcome in our school. We should be proud that we have a wonderful K-12 program in computer science and engineering that has encouraged greater logical proficiency and imagination from boys of all ages. At the same time, however, we must always be sure to avoid what media scholar Neil Postman called the “sleepwalking attitudes” toward the ways in which we use and talk about technology. We should be mindful of how much screen time we are asking of boys in their assignments. We should we leery of digitizing analog practices to give a false impression of being innovative or modern. We recognize that our boys are more than just a set of skills to be maximized; they are also themselves stories who can inspire, ennoble, and transcend. At Browning, our meaningful connections cannot be merely curated and customized by algorithm—they are instead born of our community’s commitment to knowing and loving boys, even as we challenge them to become men of intellect and integrity.