As a Dance Educationalist I do not get the luxury of wearing smart dresses or outfits to work. Majority of my work week is spent in active wear which is carried on to my gym sessions and extra curricular activities with my daughter, dog and the horses. I am therefore, FOREVER in active wear. I enjoy clothes so I like to shop online (I mean whoever has the time these days to go shopping in person?) for smart outfits despite the informal appearance. Fabletics is a website I’ve used for a while and it conveniently caters to my taste, size and lifestyle. The first thing I was required to complete was a ‘pop quiz’ where I answered numerous questions on my activity, my shape, size and my colour and style preference. Each month I am sent e-mails and updates of co-ordinated outfits and personal recommendations. At first, I thought this was wonderful and I felt as if I had an online personal shopper. As it continues my bank balance suffers and I have more capri pants to open my own store! Algorithms is not just for the client, it is definitely for the convenience of the company. I now have no need to buy any active wear for a few years. The algorithms at play managed to alter choice by sorting, ranking and creating outfits that I could order. Why buy a top when you can but an outfit? The algorithm has the decision on what should be visible to me when I open my account or they take it a step further and send an e-mail. They create ‘truths’ around my choice, taste and lifestyle (Beer, 2016). If I’ve bought it then you bet I am wearing it to get my moneys worth!!

References:

Beer, D. (2016). The social power of algorithms. Information, Communication & Society, 20(1), 1-13. DOI: 10.1080/1369118x.2016.1216147

 

from Flickr http://flic.kr/p/Sd5JBU
via IFTTT