Crowdsourced audit of Twitter’s recommender systems

Abstract This research conducts an audit of Twitter’s recommender system, aiming to examine the disparities between users’ curated timelines and their subscription choices. Through the combined use of a browser extension and data collection via the Twitter API, our investigation reveals a high ampli...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Paul Bouchaud, David Chavalarias, Maziyar Panahi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2023-10-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-43980-4
Description
Summary:Abstract This research conducts an audit of Twitter’s recommender system, aiming to examine the disparities between users’ curated timelines and their subscription choices. Through the combined use of a browser extension and data collection via the Twitter API, our investigation reveals a high amplification of friends from the same community, a preference for amplifying emotionally charged and toxic tweets and an uneven algorithmic amplification across friends’ political leaning. This audit emphasizes the importance of transparency, and increased awareness regarding the impact of algorithmic curation.
ISSN:2045-2322