Information consumption within social media feeds today is largely guided by blackbox algorithms, over which users have little agency. How can we empower users on social media platforms to take control of their personal feeds through novel content curation tools and interaction paradigms? This study starts to explore this question by examining the common factors considered by end users when determining the saliency of content on their personal social media feeds.
This study will be conducted virtually over Zoom. Participants will be asked to participate in an interactive activity in which they build an ideal personal feed using 10 pieces of content from a social media platform of their choice. The activity will be then followed by a short interview. In total, study is expected to take approximately 30–45 minutes.
Your testimonies, perspectives, and experiences will be used to develop new tools for end-users to curate content on their personal social media feeds. As a social media user, you may directly benefit from these tools once they are deployed. Participants will also receive a $15 gift card for participation.
This study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the University of Washington under study #00016757. It poses no greater than minimal risks to participants. The research team will anonymize participant identities prior to analyzing data and publishing results. If you are a participant and you have questons about your rights as a research subject, you can call the University of Washington Human Subjects Division at (206) 543-0098.
