Personalized Feeds, Echo Chambers, and Family Intimacy

Created by: Duo Ning, Jiani Zhan, Mixon Chen, Qiuxuan Wang, Runan Li

Overview: This study revolves around the “intimate relationship dominated by algorithms”. With the core issue of how algorithms separate family cognition, combined with the theory of platform society and digital governance, it focuses on why parents and children in the same family are gradually in an independent information environment where they cannot communicate smoothly. The research relies on the theory of visible power to point out that algorithms are not neutral; short video platforms rely on user data to push differentiated content, build information cocoons, reshape the cognitive concepts of two generations, enlarge value differences between family members, and destroy the common context of mutual communication.

At the same time, the research introduces the theory of algorithm governance and intergenerational self-discipline for further analysis. The algorithm relies on continuous personalised recommendations to implicitly guide users to accept specific value orientations, so that people can regard the preferences shaped by the algorithm as independent choices. In the family scene, the algorithm pushes the narrative of responsibility and care to parents and the concept of self-boundary to children respectively, giving rise to the emotional expectations of two generations, resulting in communication misunderstandings and fading intimate relationships. In general, this article aims to reveal that algorithms reshape family interaction as an implicit force, and differentiate information distribution to disintegrate the cognitive basis of family mutual understanding.

Created with: ChatGPT

Concept

Poster description: The poster picture shows that a family of three people in the same room uses their mobile phones; the algorithm pushes completely different content to children and parents, building two information spaces that are isolated from each other. And with pictures and texts to explain the intrinsic relationship between personalised recommendations, information cocoon and cognitive gap, it puts forward core research issues, and reveals the phenomenon of cognitive misalignment and family alienation caused by algorithm differentiation push.

Development and Sketches

Contact the Creators

Name: Runan Li

Email: [email protected]