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" Do Search Algorithms Endanger Democracy? An Experimental Investigation of Algorithm Effects on Political Polarization "
Cho, J; Ahmed, S; Hilbert, M; Liu, B; Luu, J
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AL
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| Record Number
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911801
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LA9dr6q639
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| Title & Author
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Do Search Algorithms Endanger Democracy? An Experimental Investigation of Algorithm Effects on Political Polarization [Article]\ Cho, J; Ahmed, S; Hilbert, M; Liu, B; Luu, J
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| Date
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2020
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| Title of Periodical
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UC Davis
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| Abstract
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© 2020, © 2020 Broadcast Education Association. This study examines algorithm effects on user opinion, utilizing a real-world recommender algorithm of a highly popular video-sharing platform, YouTube. We experimentally manipulate user search/watch history by our custom programming. A controlled laboratory experiment is then conducted to examine whether exposure to algorithmically recommended content reinforces and polarizes political opinions. Results suggest that political self-reinforcement, as indicated by the political emotion-ideology alignment, and affective polarization are heightened by political videos–selected by the YouTube recommender algorithm–based on participants’ own search preferences. Suggestions for how to reduce algorithm-induced political polarization and implications of algorithmic personalization for democracy are discussed.
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