Black Boxes out of Cardboard: Algorithmic Literacy through Critical Board Game Design

As we enter an era in which algorithmic technology is woven into the fabric of almost all our social experiences,1 these computational systems have come to exercise a subtle but problematically pervasive power in society.2 As algorithms are generally invisible, “often referred to as ‘black box’ constructs, as they are not evident in user interfaces”, most people who engage with them daily are unaware of how they work or how they can be socially harmful.3 Consequently, academics, media critics, and civic organizations have called for initiatives that can foster public algorithmic literacy.4 This would allow the public to become more aware of, critical towards, and knowledgeable about how, when, and to what ends these automated systems impact their lives. As a response to this call we set out to develop the critical board game Unveiling Interfaces as an MA Media Arts Cultures thesis project at Aalborg University, Denmark.