eslami2015

Research Questions

1. How aware are users of the News Feed curation algorithm and what factors are associated with this awareness?
2. How do users evaluate the curation of their News Feed when shown the algorithm outputs? Given the opportunity alter the outputs, how do users’ preferred outputs compare to the algorithm’s?
3. How does the knowledge users gain through an algorithm visualization tool transfer to their behavior?

Study Design

1. Participants complete questionnaire and interview to measure algorithmic awareness. Researchers collect participants’ network size, News Feed stories and friends’ stories to populate an interface for the next phase.
2. Use application (FeedVis) to visualize the algorithm outputs, and used long form open-ended interview to discuss them.
3. Emailed participants two-to-six months later to ask closed and open ended questions to evaluate the consequences of any insight gained by observing algorithm outputs.

Recruitment

Modified quota sampling to obtain a non-probability sample that is roughly representative of the US population on four dimensions: gender, age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status.

Recruited using posters in public spaces, e-mails to local online communities and civic organizations, and posts on Facebook.

$10/hourforpre-assessmentandmaininterview,andparticipationinpost-assessmententeredthemintoalotteryfor$50 gift card.

Data Analysis

Two researchers use line-by-line open coding.

Then, revise categories to agreement, and use axial coding to extract relationship between themes.

Statistical analysis to support qualitative findings.