Lorin Tams: The Database

With all the influence algorithms have on our lives, Lorin Tams has this case against allowing anything, or anyone, to put us in boxes.

I went online recently, just browsing, and found a very interesting video. In it, a guy had come up with a way to find out who Google thinks you are- everything from your age to your interests to your hobbies. Immediately, I wanted to try it out. So I did.

A few clicks later, I was on the page. It both astounded and scared me. Because right in front of my eyes was a person- but was it me? It was like looking in one of those warped mirrors at amusement parks. You can still vaguely see yourself, but you’re small and squat, your feet are too big, your head is too small.

My point is that Google doesn’t see your history the way you or some of your family can. Google wasn’t there for that school play in second grade where you performed as the main character and only forgot one line. And Google never tried to go to Denver in a cardboard box.
So what has Google seen?

The things you click on. The type of videos you seem to be interested in.

And what are they looking for in those clicks, something that comes way before your hobbies or interests or even your age on that database?
Your gender. Or rather, whether Google perceives you as male or female.

Databases build up in people’s minds too. Just like Google, they haven’t been through your experiences. But without even talking to you, they convince themselves that they still know who you are.

I identify as nonbinary, but the people I pass on the street don’t know that. Because my hair is shoulder length, sometimes they will refer to me as my parent’s daughter. In restaurants, the waiters say, “and what would she like to order?”

Now, I could go on and on about people’s assumptions. But that would just be giving them power that they don’t deserve. That Google certainly doesn’t deserve. No number of online clicks can give an accurate representation of who I am. Similarly, in real life, my gender is not an algorithm.

The people who know me and care about me are the ones I should trust. And the person who knows and cares about me most is myself.

With a Perspective, I’m Lorin Tams.

Lorin Tams is 12 years old and loves musical theater and writing. They live in Berkeley.