Week 14 — The Feed Swap
The Algorithmic Echo — Part 3 (Key Activity)
This is the key activity for Unit 4. Students experience what it's like to see the internet through someone else's eyes. Using paper-based simulated "feeds" from fictional people with completely different interests and perspectives, they see firsthand that the same platforms can build very different realities. The week ends with designing a "balanced feed" that represents what an algorithm should show if its goal were understanding rather than engagement.
Key Vocabulary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Feed Swap | An exercise where you experience a simulated feed built for someone with very different interests and perspectives |
| Information environment | The total set of media, news, and content a person is exposed to — shaped by algorithms, choices, and access |
| Balanced feed | An imagined feed designed for understanding and growth rather than pure engagement |
This week you'll look at pretend feeds made for different pretend people — and see how different they are. It's like putting on someone else's glasses and seeing a different version of the internet. Then you'll think about what your ideal feed would look like if YOU got to design it.
Connection
Week 12 taught students what algorithms do. Week 13 showed how algorithms and confirmation bias create filter bubbles. This week's Feed Swap makes it real: students step into another person's algorithmic world and experience the contrast firsthand. This is the Unit 4 key activity. Next week begins the final unit: students shift from reading media to creating it.
From Weeks 12-13: Students understand algorithms and filter bubbles. Now they experience the difference firsthand by looking at feeds designed for other people.
From Week 3: Creator choices shape how a message feels. Algorithms make a similar kind of choice by deciding what you see — and what you don't. The "invisible choices" are now made by software, not just by human creators.
Teacher Preparation
Create 2–3 simulated "feeds" on paper. Each feed is a list of 10 posts/videos/articles that a specific fictional person would see. Example characters:
- Alex, age 10: Loves soccer, watches gaming videos, follows pet accounts. Feed: soccer highlight, gaming clip, funny dog video, soccer shoe ad, gaming tournament news, puppy meme, "Top 10 Soccer Goals" video, gaming controller review, dog training tip, soccer team news.
- Sam, age 10: Loves science, watches nature documentaries, follows space accounts. Feed: Mars rover update, ocean documentary clip, science experiment video, telescope ad, "10 Amazing Deep-Sea Creatures," space station news, volcano eruption footage, science kit review, rainforest video, astronomy quiz.
- Jordan, age 10: Loves cooking, watches baking shows, follows food accounts. Feed: cake decorating video, recipe for easy cookies, restaurant review, kitchen gadget ad, "5-Minute Meals for Kids," baking competition clip, funny cooking fail, pizza-making tutorial, smoothie recipe, food photography tips.
Write or draw each feed on separate sheets. Make them look slightly different visually if possible.
Write out 2 simple pretend feeds on paper: 10 items each for two fictional characters with different interests (e.g., a sports fan and a science enthusiast). No printing needed — handwritten cards or a list on paper works fine.
The "aha moment" this week comes from contrast. When the student holds two or three feeds side by side and realizes these people are using the same app but living in completely different information worlds, the concept of filter bubbles becomes real. Let the student react before you explain.
Guided Session 1
Different People, Different Internets
Learning Goal
Students can describe how the same platform creates different experiences for different people and explain why this matters for understanding the world.
Activities
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Meet the Characters — Introduce 2–3 fictional characters (from your prepared feeds). Describe each briefly: their age, interests, and habits. Don't show the feeds yet.
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Predict the Feed — For each character, ask: "If this person uses [YouTube/TikTok/a social media app] every day, what do you think the algorithm shows them? What types of videos, ads, and posts would fill their feed?" Have the student brainstorm for each character.
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Reveal the Feeds — Hand out the prepared feed sheets. Have the student compare their predictions to the actual feeds. Were they close? Were there any surprises?
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Side by Side — Lay all the feeds next to each other. Ask:
- "Are these people using the same app?" (Yes.)
- "Are they seeing the same content?" (No — almost nothing overlaps.)
- "If Alex and Sam argued about 'what's popular online,' who would be right?" (Both — and neither. They're both describing what's popular in their bubble.)
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The Big Realization — Discuss: "There is no single 'internet.' Every person sees a customized version. When someone says 'everyone is talking about X,' they mean 'everyone in MY feed is talking about X.' The algorithm built their feed. It's not a reflection of reality — it's a reflection of their clicks."
Reflection Questions
- Which feed was most different from your own?
- Did you find anything interesting in a feed that the algorithm would probably never show YOU?
- If you only saw one feed for a whole year, how would it change what you think is "normal"?
Guided Session 2
The Feed Swap
Learning Goal
Students can experience a different perspective's information environment and articulate what they'd learn (and miss) from that feed.
Activities
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Choose a Feed — Have the student pick one feed that is the most different from their own life. They're going to "swap" into that person's algorithm for this session.
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Live in the Feed — Spend 5–10 minutes "browsing" the new feed. For each item, the student writes one reaction:
- "I'd click on this" or "I'd skip this"
- "I learned something new" or "I already knew this"
- "This is interesting" or "This is boring"
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Reflection Conversation — After the swap, discuss:
- "What was it like seeing content that wasn't chosen for you?"
- "Did you discover anything you would have never found in your own feed?"
- "Was any of it annoying, confusing, or boring? Why?"
- "If you lived in this feed every day, what would you know a lot about? What would you know nothing about?"
- "How did it feel to see content chosen for someone else? What assumptions did you start making about that person based on their feed? What does that tell you about what YOUR feed might make others assume about you?"
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What Got Lost — The most important question: "In YOUR feed, what important things might the algorithm be hiding from you? What topics, perspectives, or types of information are probably outside your bubble?"
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Unit 4 Review — Recap: "Algorithms build your feed based on engagement (Week 12). Over time, this creates a filter bubble where you only see things you already agree with (Week 13). Different people see completely different versions of reality (this week). And none of these feeds show the full picture. Now that you know this — what are you going to do about it?"
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Media Checkpoint Connection — Return to The Media Checkpoint. Students should now be able to use all seven questions confidently. From this point forward, question 7 — What's my next move? — includes algorithmic awareness: "If I share this, who will the algorithm show it to? If I engage with this, what will the algorithm show me next?"
This activity works just as well on paper. Write 10 items on index cards for each fictional character's feed. No screens needed.
Reflection Questions
- After the Feed Swap, do you want to change anything about how you use the internet?
- What's one topic or perspective you want to explore that your algorithm probably wouldn't show you?
- Is there a way to use algorithms well — getting personalized content that's also balanced?
Independent Session
Design a Balanced Feed
Instruction
Imagine you could design the perfect, balanced feed. Not an algorithm that only shows you what you like — but one that shows you what you need to be a well-informed, curious, open-minded person.
Design your Balanced Feed on paper. Include 10 items that your ideal feed would show you in a day. At least:
- 3 should be topics you already enjoy
- 3 should be topics you don't usually see (things from outside your bubble)
- 2 should be perspectives you don't usually agree with (but that are presented thoughtfully)
- 2 should be "surprise" items — random things that might expand your view of the world
After designing it, answer:
- Would this feed be more or less interesting than your current one? Why?
- Would this feed make you a better-informed person? Why?
- Would an algorithm ever build this feed for you on its own? Why or why not?
Skills Reinforced
- Imagining beyond one's own information bubble
- Intentional media consumption planning
- Evaluating the trade-off between comfort and growth
Setup
Provide paper, markers, and the simulated feeds from the guided sessions as reference. The student designs their own feed from scratch. Set a timer for 25 minutes.
Quick Check
After this week's sessions, the student should be able to:
- Describe the contrast: Explain what was different between the simulated feeds and why.
- Identify the gap: Name at least two topics or perspectives their own feed probably never shows them.
- Design intentionally: Create a balanced feed that includes variety, not just engagement favorites.
This is the end of Unit 4. See the Assessment Checkpoints page for a unit-level reflection conversation.
Around Weeks 14–15, students are ready for Spiral Performance Task 4: The Pre-Project Warm-Up. See the Spiral Performance Tasks section for details. This task asks students to apply all 7 Media Checkpoint questions to a piece of media, including algorithmic thinking and a pivot to creation.
Caregiver Look-Fors
- The student is genuinely surprised by how different the feeds are
- They can articulate what their own bubble excludes
- The Balanced Feed design includes real variety, not just "more of what I like"
- They connect all three weeks of Unit 4 together (algorithm → bubble → contrast)
- They express a desire to diversify their media diet
🎯 Takeaway
Big idea: Different people see very different versions of the internet based on their behavior, location, and interests — and most people don't realize it.
Remember: Repeated exposure shapes expectations and assumptions. If you want a fuller picture, you have to look beyond your feed on purpose.
Younger Learner Adaptation (Ages 6–8)
- Use just two feeds: Three can be overwhelming. Alex and Sam provide clear contrast.
- Make it physical: Spread feed cards on a table and let the student sort and compare by moving cards around.
- Simpler Balanced Feed: Design 5 items instead of 10, using drawings or stickers.
- Family activity: Each family member draws what they think their feed looks like. Compare and discuss.
Older Learner Extension (Ages 11–13)
- Real feed analysis: If the student has a supervised social media account, screenshot actual recommendations and compare with a parent's or sibling's.
- Algorithm redesign pitch: Write a 1-paragraph pitch for how a social media platform should design its algorithm if the goal were understanding instead of engagement.
- Historical connection: How did people get diverse information before algorithms? (Newspapers, town squares, libraries.) What's changed?
Accessibility Options
- Verbal Feed Swap: Instead of writing reactions, the student talks through each feed item aloud.
- Color-coded comparison: Use colored stickers or highlighters to mark similar/different content across feeds.
- Audio balanced feed: Record a description of the ideal feed instead of writing it.
- Collage: Cut images from magazines to build the Balanced Feed as a physical collage.
- Simplified template: Pre-draw the 10-item feed layout so the student only needs to fill in content ideas.