More than 60% of Facebook users are entirely unaware of any algorithmic curation on Facebook at all #UKIGF18 [PDF] http://www-personal.umich.edu/~csandvig/research/Eslami_Algorithms_CHI15.pdf

@zyx This is painful to read: "On Facebook, ignorance of the algorithm had serious conse-
quences. Our participants used News Feed to make inferences
about their relationships, wrongly attributing the composition
of their feeds to the habits or intent of their friends and family.
Users incorrectly concluded that friends had dropped them
due to political disagreements or their unappealing behavior."

@cstanhope @zyx The conclusion is also surprising: "By the end of the study, however, participants were mostly satisfied with the content on their feeds. Following up with participants two to six months after the study, we found that for most, satisfaction levels remained similar before and
after becoming aware of the algorithm’s presence, however, algorithmic awareness led to more active engagement with Facebook and bolstered overall feelings of control on the site."

@xuv @zyx Yeah, I was surprised by that too. I'm glad their awareness led them to understand things and give them (a sense?) of control. I'm not sure what to think about "more active engagement".

@cstanhope @zyx It's troubling to say the least. But thanks for pointing out the good bits of that article.

@xuv

In conclusion, we must Facebook harder!

@cstanhope @zyx