Daniel Neyland - The Everyday Life of an Algorithm

An algorithm is conventionally defined as a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer. In this sense, an algorithm strictly speaking is nothing more than the ordering of steps that a combination of software and hardware might subsequently put into operation. It might seem odd, then, to write a book about the everyday life of a set of instructions. What life might the instructions have led, into what romance or crime might the instructions have become entangled, what disappointments might they have had? These seem unlikely questions to pose. For an ethnographer, they also seem like questions that would be difficult to pursue. Even if the instructions were engaged in a variety of different social interactions, where do these take place and how could I ever get to know them?

A quick perusal of the instructions hanging around in my house reveals a slightly crumpled paper booklet on my home heating system, two sets of colourful Lego manuals setting out how to build a vehicle, and a form with notes on how to apply for a new passport. I have no idea how the latter arrived in my house or for whom it is necessary. But it is clear in its formality and precision. I also know my sons will shortly be home from school and determined in their efforts to build their new Lego. And I am aware, but slightly annoyed, by the demands set by the heating instructions that suggest my boiler pressure is too high (above 1.5 bars; after a quick Google, it turns out that a bar is the force required to raise water to a height of 10 metres). The pressure needs to be reduced, and I have known this all week and not acted on it. The instructions have annoyed me by instilling a familiar sense of inadequacy in my own (in)ability to manage my domestic affairsof course, the instructions provide numbers, a written diagram, even some words, but their meanings and my required response remain out of reach.