Algorithmic Ecosystems in Reselling (Intro)
Key Concepts
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
HCI is the study of how humans interact with computers and digital systems. For secondhand online resellers, effective HCI is usually involved the design of platforms and the interactions with and between users. HCI also examines sociological aspects, such as how technology influences societal behaviors and cultural norms.
The Future of Work
This concept explores how work evolves due to technological and societal changes. For secondhand online resellers, the future of work includes the increasing reliance on digital platforms, the gig economy, and automation.
Algorithms
Algorithms are sets of rules or instructions used by computers to perform tasks. In online resale platforms, algorithms determine search rankings, recommend products, and manage inventory. They significantly influence how items are displayed to potential buyers and can affect a reseller's success by impacting visibility and sales. Understanding these algorithms helps resellers optimize their listings and improve their chances of making sales. Additionally, humans can also ‘behave algorithmically’, such as reseller communities doing ‘Sharing Trains’ or follow chains.
Algorithmic Systems
These systems use algorithms to automate decision-making processes, and are entwined social systems (usually what people in HCI call sociotechnical systems). For secondhand resellers, algorithmic systems affect everything from product visibility to pricing strategies to self-presentation strategies.
Communal Sensemaking
This refers to the collective process of interpreting and understanding complex information or systems within a community. For secondhand online resellers, communal sensemaking involves sharing knowledge and experiences about platform algorithms and best practices. This helps resellers navigate and succeed on these platforms by collectively filling in the gaps left by the opaque nature of algorithmic systems. A challenge is to disentangle useful communal insights from misinformation and localized algorithmic interactions.
Information Asymmetry
Information asymmetry occurs when one party in a transaction has more or better information than the other. In online reselling, platforms often have more information about user behavior and algorithmic processes than the resellers. This asymmetry creates challenges for resellers in optimizing their sales strategies and understanding platform changes, as they lack access to the data and insights taken by platform owners.
Algorithmic Opacity/Transparency
Algorithmic opacity describes the lack of transparency in how algorithms operate and make decisions. For resellers, this means they often do not fully understand how platforms rank their items or why certain listings perform better than others. This opacity can lead to frustration and speculation, as resellers try to develop informal theories to make sense of their performance on these platforms.
Invisible Labor in Algorithmic Systems
This term refers to the often unnoticed work required to interact with and optimize outcomes within algorithmic systems.
More about this approach to understanding algorithmic systems
Algorithms as culture: Some tactics for the ethnography of algorithmic systems (Nick Seaver)
Subjectivity and algorithmic imaginaries: the algorithmic other