It is important to seek better understanding of how these algorithms curate content.
A controlled experiment done in Argentina, created six identical profiles following the same news sources on Facebook and observed which stories each profile received.
Findings
Large gaps between the number of stories published and seen by the profiles: Our profiles were shown an average of one out six posts from across all the pages that they were following.
There was no exposure to certain types of stories: When algorithms curate content, critical social and political posts may not be shown to users. Users with the exact same profile details, following the same news sites, were not exposed to the same set of stories.
We envision this report as a first step toward these ends, allowing the general public to better understand how platform algorithms work. In doing so, we hope to trigger a conversation regarding the roles that online users, governments and platforms have in defining the values embedded in algorithms.
Niranjan Meegammana
HR Researcher & Technologist
Digital Human Rights
As we growing our dependency digital platforms for information, the control they have over the public discourse is becoming a greater liability to our social and political systems. We must work to ensure people who use these platforms have more control over their information diets.
https://webfoundation.org/research/the-invisible-curation-of-content-facebooks-news-feed-and-our-information-diets/
Niranjan Meegammana
HR Researcher & Technologist
Digital Human Rights
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