Visualizing Algorithmic Selection in Social Media

Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter use algorithms to filter information in order to reduce overload and selectively pick content for users. These algorithms create unique, individual, and isolated bubbles of information that users are not always aware of. We recommend that algorithmic awareness should be the first step in addressing the pitfalls of the filter bubble effect. We conducted an experimental study to investigate how simple visualizations can be used to achieve algorithmic awareness and to understand how it might influence users' behavior. The visualizations did not lead to increased understanding of the algorithm per se, but its presence created interesting effects that will inform future studies.