OPIAS: Over-Personalization in Information Access Systems

“Filter bubbles," a phenomenon in which users become caught in an information space with low diversity, can have various negative effects. Several tools have been created to monitor the users’ actions to make them aware of their own filter bubbles, but these tools have disadvantages (e.g., infringement on privacy). We propose a standalone demo that does not require any personal data. It emulates Facebook, a well-known and popular social network. We demonstrate how each user interaction may affect the selection of subsequent posts, sometimes resulting in the creation of a ‘filter bubble.’ The administrator (researcher) can tailor the demo for any context, changing the topics and points of view used in the demo. Data collection via surveys before and after the demo is facilitated so that the demo can be used for research, in addition to education.This work has been partly supported by the project that has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 739578 (RISE – Call: H2020-WIDESPREAD-01-2016-2017-TeamingPhase2) and the Government of the Republic of Cyprus through the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy