Project Title: Algorithmic Personalization and Online Radicalization: A Mixed Methods Approach
Principal Investigator: Brian Ekdale, University of Iowa
Co-Investigators: Timothy Havens, University of Iowa ; Andrew High, Penn State University ;Raven Maragh-Lloyd, Washington University ;Rishab Nithyanand, University of Iowa, Ryan Stoldt, Drake University
Years of Award: 2021–2023
Managing Service Agency: Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Project Description:
Social media algorithms that personalize user content pose a significant concern for American national security because they have the potential to intensify “reinforcing spirals” (Slater, 2007) that can lead users toward extremism. Our previous work (Le et al., 2019) has shown that algorithmic personalization is higher for populations with extreme ideological beliefs; therefore, there is an urgent need to identify factors that make one vulnerable to radicalization online. Our overall objectives for this project are, first, to identify the technological, psychological, and cultural factors that contribute to radicalization of vulnerable populations on social media and, second, to develop tools that can identify and predict radicalization on social media.
Associated Publications:
Dunna, A., Keith, K., Zuckerman, E., Vallina-Rodriguez, N., O’Connor, B., and Nithyanand, R. (2022) Paying attention to the algorithm behind the curtain: Bringing transparency to YouTube’s demonetization algorithms. Proceedings of 2022 ACM SIGCHI Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW 2022).
Habib, H., Musa, M., Zaffar, F., and Nithyanand, R. (2022) Are proactive interventions for Reddit communities feasible. Proceedings of 2022 AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media (ICWSM 2022).
Habib, H., and Nithyanand, R. (2022) Exploring the magnitude and effects of media influence on Reddit. Proceedings of 2022 AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media (ICWSM 2022).
Habib, H., Srinivasan, P., and Nithyanand, R. (2022) How participation, interaction, and perception in online communities increase radical behavior. Proceedings of 2022 ACM SIGCHI Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW 2022).
Peterson, A., High, A., Maragh-Lloyd, R., Stoldt, R., & Ekdale, B. (2022) Trust in online search results during uncertain times. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 66(5): 751-771.
Stoldt, R., Maragh-Lloyd, R., Havens, T., Ekdale, B., & High, A. C. (2023). Using racial discourse communities to audit personalization algorithms. Communication, Culture & Critique. 16(3), 158–165.