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README.md

Word Counting

Concordance

Reading / Viewing

Word Counting Basics

Tokenizing Text

Creative Inspiration

Text Analysis

TF-IDF

Bayesian Text Classification

AFINN-111

Reading

Part of the challenge of understanding algorithmic oppression is to understand that mathematical formulations to drive automated decisions are made by human beings. While we often think of terms such as “big data” and “algorithms” as being benign, neutral, or objective, they are anything but.

Assignment

1: In preparation for next week, add a link to a data source or API (even just data that appears in raw form on a web page) that interests you! Don't worry about this too much, anything will do! I'll use this list to prepare examples for next week.

2: Choose a text or data source and count word frequencies following the examples above. Design your own creative output. This need not be visual (sonify word counts?) nor does it require code (knit your own word frequency scarf!). Some things to consider:

  • Use a language other than English!
  • What happens if you compare different texts according to word frequency?
  • Can you look at frequency of how words appear next to each other?

Reflect on your process of word counting and consider the following questions (drawing connections to Safiya Umoja Noble’s Algorithms of Oppression, Chapter 1):

  • Did you discover anything new about the text by counting words?
  • What is lost from word counting?
  • Challenge the assumption that algorithms for analyzing text (such as word counting or search engine rankings, as Noble shows) are neutral.

Add a link to your API / data source here

Add your assignment below via Pull Request

(Please note you are welcome to post under a pseudonym and/or password protect your published assignment. For NYU blogs, privacy options are covered in the NYU Wordpress Knowledge Base. Finally, if you prefer not to post your assignment at all here, you may email the submission.)

Emoji Key for Video Tutorials, Readings, and more

  • 🚨 Watch this video tutorial! (this is technical info needed for the examples). Of course if you alreaddy know this material, you can skip.
  • 🔢 This is found in a group, maybe pick just one to check out!
  • 🍿 Additional video if you have a particular interest and want to do a deeper dive.
  • 📕 Required reading! Let's make sure we all have read this.
  • 📚 Optional additional reading for a deeper dive.
  • 💻 Code examples here!
  • 🔗 Extra reference material / link