Coping Practices Related to Algorithmic Selection in Switzerland

Abstract

Algorithms on the internet govern our lives and our realities (Just & Latzer, 2017). They change our perception of the world and affect our behavior by influencing our choices. Consider the selection of online information via search engines, of music and video entertainment content via recommender systems, of products in online shops, or of status messages displayed on social online networks. With their governing power, algorithms on the internet have become an important source and factor of social order in digitized societies (Latzer & Just, 2020).

The benefits of this governance by algorithms in everyday life are accompanied by potential risks like manipulation, bias, discrimination or threats to privacy, which call for an adequate governance of algorithms (Latzer et al., 2016; Saurwein, Just & Latzer, 2015).

The project “The Significance of Algorithmic Selection for Everyday Life: The Case of Switzerland” empirically explores the significance of internet-based applications that build on automated algorithmic selection, essentially defined as the assignment of relevance to selected pieces of information. It provides empirical evidence for assessing the possible risks and the societal groups that may be particularly affected by them. It thereby provides the basis for a more evidence-based governance of algorithms.