Echo chamber effects on short video platforms
Abstract In recent years, short videos have become an increasingly vital source of information. To compete for users’ attention, short video platforms have been overusing algorithmic technology, making the group polarization intensify, which is likely to push users into the homogeneous “echo chamber...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-33370-1 |
| _version_ | 1797841119203033088 |
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| author | Yichang Gao Fengming Liu Lei Gao |
| author_facet | Yichang Gao Fengming Liu Lei Gao |
| author_sort | Yichang Gao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract In recent years, short videos have become an increasingly vital source of information. To compete for users’ attention, short video platforms have been overusing algorithmic technology, making the group polarization intensify, which is likely to push users into the homogeneous “echo chamber”. However, echo chambers can contribute to the spread of misleading information, false news, or rumors, which have negative social impacts. Therefore, it is necessary to explore echo chamber effects in short video platforms. Moreover, the communication paradigms between users and feed algorithms greatly vary across short video platforms. This paper investigated echo chamber effects of three popular short video platforms (Douyin, TikTok, and Bilibili) using social network analysis and explored how user features influenced the generation of echo chambers. We quantified echo chamber effects through two primary ingredients: selective exposure and homophily, in both platform and topic dimensions. Our analyses indicate that the gathering of users into homogeneous groups dominates online interactions on Douyin and Bilibili. We performed performance comparison of echo chamber effects and found that echo chamber members tend to display themselves to attract the attention of their peers and that cultural differences can prevent the development of echo chambers. Our findings are of great value in designing targeted management strategies to prevent the spread of misleading information, false news, or rumors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T16:25:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fbc8a1908aeb4e0faef1b08382d8d94d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T16:25:50Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-fbc8a1908aeb4e0faef1b08382d8d94d2023-04-23T11:16:11ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-04-0113111710.1038/s41598-023-33370-1Echo chamber effects on short video platformsYichang Gao0Fengming Liu1Lei Gao2Business School, Shandong Normal UniversityBusiness School, Shandong Normal UniversityCommonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)Abstract In recent years, short videos have become an increasingly vital source of information. To compete for users’ attention, short video platforms have been overusing algorithmic technology, making the group polarization intensify, which is likely to push users into the homogeneous “echo chamber”. However, echo chambers can contribute to the spread of misleading information, false news, or rumors, which have negative social impacts. Therefore, it is necessary to explore echo chamber effects in short video platforms. Moreover, the communication paradigms between users and feed algorithms greatly vary across short video platforms. This paper investigated echo chamber effects of three popular short video platforms (Douyin, TikTok, and Bilibili) using social network analysis and explored how user features influenced the generation of echo chambers. We quantified echo chamber effects through two primary ingredients: selective exposure and homophily, in both platform and topic dimensions. Our analyses indicate that the gathering of users into homogeneous groups dominates online interactions on Douyin and Bilibili. We performed performance comparison of echo chamber effects and found that echo chamber members tend to display themselves to attract the attention of their peers and that cultural differences can prevent the development of echo chambers. Our findings are of great value in designing targeted management strategies to prevent the spread of misleading information, false news, or rumors.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-33370-1 |
| spellingShingle | Yichang Gao Fengming Liu Lei Gao Echo chamber effects on short video platforms Scientific Reports |
| title | Echo chamber effects on short video platforms |
| title_full | Echo chamber effects on short video platforms |
| title_fullStr | Echo chamber effects on short video platforms |
| title_full_unstemmed | Echo chamber effects on short video platforms |
| title_short | Echo chamber effects on short video platforms |
| title_sort | echo chamber effects on short video platforms |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-33370-1 |
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