week3
2024.10.14
This week's focus on web scraping and the power of algorithms profoundly influenced my understanding of the digital world. We delved from theory into practice...
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This week's focus on web scraping and the power of algorithms profoundly influenced my understanding of the digital world. We delved from theory into practice through Bucher's (2018) "Multiplicity of Algorithms" and Chapple's web scraping tutorial on LinkedIn Learning, gradually learning how to operate and apply these techniques.
In his book, Bucher discusses how algorithms reorder the world in new ways, making me realize that algorithms are more than just code—they influence the flow of information and societal structures. This perspective on the "new order" deepened my understanding and critical thinking about the power structures behind digital platforms. Chapple's tutorial provided a hands-on opportunity to learn how to use web scraping technology to extract valuable data from web pages. Through the course, I learned that web scraping is not just a technical operation but an effective method for acquiring and analyzing web information. Tools like OutWit Hub and WebScraper.io proved incredibly useful in this process, helping us extract needed data from complex web pages.
When I attempted to extract operational information from Instagram accounts, it felt complicated at first. However, as I gradually understood the HTML structure, I found the process both fascinating and challenging. Especially when I used OutWit Hub to mark the necessary HTML code, it was amazing to see the web data 'dissected' before my eyes. This week's learning not only enhanced my technical skills but also deepened my understanding of how digital media shapes our societal perceptions. Algorithms and web scraping, although digital tools, are playing an increasingly important role in modern society. With these tools, we can extract information from vast amounts of data, analyze it, and ultimately apply it in various fields such as academic research or market analysis.