The Algorithmic Interaction Order in Open Source
Maha Shaikh, Emmanuelle Vaast · Research Portal (King's College London) · 2018
We focus on algorithmic interactions and how they unfold in open source work. Past studies have deliberated the autonomy of algorithms, how accountable algorithms need to be, the transparency and decipherability of algorithms for users, and how algorithms work in certain contexts. This scholarly work is rich but has yet to explain the functioning and implications of using algorithms to coordinate expert work such as software development. We focus on the nature of interaction that occurs through and because of algorithms. We look to the Linux Kernel case to understand algorithmic interactions and how within open source such algorithms manage, coordinate and oversee development work. The main contributions of this work include a conceptualization of algorithmic interaction, where we distinguish algorithmic interaction from algorithms interacting with developers, and how these different interactions affect open source work. We explain how new interaction orders are established when algorithms play influential roles.