Speaker:
Silas Hsu

Title:
Towards Better Control Settings for Online Content Curation

Abstract:
Today, algorithms function as powerful gatekeepers of the content we see in news feeds, social media apps, online advertising, and more. Often the algorithms behave counter to users’ interests, with users having little agency to remedy these issues. In response to such concerns and long-standing UI guidelines that recommend giving users control, online platforms have implemented control settings that configure and manage the behavior of online content curation algorithms.

In my talk, I present my work demonstrating that existing control settings for online content fall short in giving users autonomy. I then modeled how settings lead to a better user experience. Notably, the offer of control does not satisfy users by itself – they must believe and trust controls will help them. I conclude with ways to use my findings to design and market content curation settings that improve user autonomy.