De-coding Instagram as a Spectacle
A critical algorithm audit analysis
A critical algorithm audit analysis
Author(s): Lydia KollyriSubject(s): Social Sciences, Communication studies
Published by: Univerzita Karlova v Praze, Fakulta sociálních věd
Keywords: Instagram; spectacle; filter bubble; personalization; audit studies; algorithms; critical internet studies
Summary/Abstract: In 2016 Instagram integrated personalization algorithms into its system, promising to show the moments they believe we will care about the most. The platform's personalization logic and its commercial nature raise concerns regarding the emergence of filter bubbles and "individual realities", privileging topics that reflect a firm market logic and represent a reality where capitalism dominates. The present study aims to investigate the existence of a filter bubble on Instagram, posing the following questions: Do filter bubbles exist on Instagram? Do Instagram algorithms favor commercial soft topics? The study employs the algorithm auditing method, impersonating a user interested in soft-topics and another one involved in public-oriented topics by creating fake accounts. Both accounts' recommenda- tions were collected and analyzed qualitatively. The analysis shows that Instagram algorithms render certain topics much more salient, generating a filter bubble of soft topics that closely resembles what Debord introduced as Spectacle.
Journal: Mediální studia
- Issue Year: 15/2021
- Issue No: 02
- Page Range: 103-124
- Page Count: 22
- Language: English
