Perception of Bias: The Impact of User Characteristics, Website Design and Technical Features
File Type:
PDFItem Type:
Conference PaperDate:
2017Access:
openAccessCitation:
Brendan Spillane, Séamus Lawless, and Vincent Wade, Perception of Bias: The Impact of User Characteristics, Website Design and Technical Features, Proceedings - 2017 IEEE/WIC/ACM International Conference on Web Intelligence, 2017 IEEE/WIC/ACM International Conference on Web Intelligence (WI 2017), Leipzig, Germany, 23-26 August 2017, 2017, 227-236Abstract:
Bias, whether real or perceived by the user, is inherent in news media. In this paper, we demonstrate that user characteristics, the design and common technical features of news websites impact users’ perception of bias. A complex bias evaluation process was conducted using crowdsourced participants on webpages from nine popular news websites. Each webpage was subject to one of eight distortions which removed individual features of the design. Along with the control, a 9x9 experiment was conducted with participants asked to rate their perception of positive or negative bias in the design of the webpages. This tested the impact that removing each feature had on the user’s perception of bias. Signi cant di erences were found between how participants rated some distorted web- pages and their respective controls. The category of news website was also found to in uence the perception of bias. Furthermore, certain groups of users were found to have a predilection for rat- ing certain categories of websites as more or less biased and were in uenced by particular features of the design.
Sponsor
Grant Number
Science Foundation Ireland (SFI)
13/RC/2106
Author's Homepage:
http://people.tcd.ie/spillabhttp://people.tcd.ie/selawles
http://people.tcd.ie/vwade
Description:
ACCEPTEDLeipzig, Germany
Other Titles:
Proceedings - 2017 IEEE/WIC/ACM International Conference on Web Intelligence2017 IEEE/WIC/ACM International Conference on Web Intelligence (WI 2017)
Type of material:
Conference PaperCollections
Availability:
Full text availableKeywords:
Bias, Adaptive Interfaces, News Website DesignSubject (TCD):
Digital Engagement , Adaptive Information Systems , Adaptive Interfaces , Adaptive Systems , BIAS , NEWSPAPER BIAS , News Website Design , PersonalisationMetadata
Show full item recordLicences: