Governed by algorithms on social media ? An analysis of Teens’ oppositions to recommendation systems
(2021)
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- Abstract
- This paper presents exploratory results of the phase 2 of the research project AlgOpinion (Innoviris 2018-2022), which aims at understanding how social media platforms influence the formation of opinions of young people (15-25) through content personalisation. Phase 1 set out to get a better understanding of the relationships between opinion formation and algorithms on social media by teens. To do this, the team focused on the phenomenon of “filter bubbles” and took a critical and comparative approach to reviewing the literature as well as a pragmatic sociological approach to collecting and analysing field data. Out of this research, two main issues emerged. First, previous studies in the literature temper the importance of filter bubbles on social media, and some even question their very existence. Second, the material collected in the field showed a triple diversity regarding teens on social media: the diversity of platform use, the diversity of practices, and the variation in consciousness of (algorithmic) mechanisms at play on social media platforms. Third, the methodology used (focus groups and semi-directive interviews) proved very useful in exploring the field but problematic when trying to be systematic and create more general models and recommandations (within the framework of the project).
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Citations
Wiard, V., Lits, B., & Dufrasne, M. (2021). Governed by algorithms on social media ? An analysis of Teens’ oppositions to recommendation systems. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/167264