Christian Sandvig

Infrastructure studies meet platform studies in the age of Google and Facebook

New Media & Society · 2016-08-04 · 1481 citations

Two theoretical approaches have recently emerged to characterize new digital objects of study in the media landscape: infrastructure studies and platform studies. Despite their separate origins and different features, we demonstrate in this article how the cross-articulation of these two perspectives improves our understanding of current digital media. We use case studies of the Open Web, Facebook, and Google to demonstrate that infrastructure studies provides a valuable approach to the evolutio…

First I "like" it, then I hide it

2016-05-05 · 355 citations

Many online platforms use curation algorithms that are opaque to the user. Recent work suggests that discovering a filtering algorithm's existence in a curated feed influences user experience, but it remains unclear how users reason about the operation of these algorithms. In this qualitative laboratory study, researchers interviewed a diverse, non-probability sample of 40 Facebook users before, during, and after being presented alternative displays of Facebook's News Feed curation algorithm's o…

Communicating Algorithmic Process in Online Behavioral Advertising

2018-04-20 · 161 citations

Advertisers develop algorithms to select the most relevant advertisements for users. However, the opacity of these algorithms, along with their potential for violating user privacy, has decreased user trust and preference in behavioral advertising. To mitigate this, advertisers have started to communicate algorithmic processes in behavioral advertising. However, how revealing parts of the algorithmic process affects users' perceptions towards ads and platforms is still an open question. To inves…

Auditing Algorithms: Understanding Algorithmic Systems from the Outside In

Foundations and Trends® in Human–Computer Interaction · 2021 · 110 citations

Algorithms are ubiquitous and critical sources of information online, increasingly acting as gatekeepers for users accessing or sharing information about virtually any topic, including their personal lives and those of friends and family, news and politics, entertainment, and even information about health and well-being. As a result, algorithmically-curated content is drawing increased attention and scrutiny from users, the media, and lawmakers alike. However, studying such content poses conside…

When the algorithm itself is a racist: Diagnosing ethical harm in the basic Components of Software

International journal of communication · 2016-01-01 · 105 citations