User Attitudes to Content Moderation in Web Search
- URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2310.03458v1
- Date: Thu, 5 Oct 2023 10:57:15 GMT
- Title: User Attitudes to Content Moderation in Web Search
- Authors: Aleksandra Urman, Aniko Hannak, Mykola Makhortykh
- Abstract summary: We examine the levels of support for different moderation practices applied to potentially misleading and/or potentially offensive content in web search.
We find that the most supported practice is informing users about potentially misleading or offensive content, and the least supported one is the complete removal of search results.
More conservative users and users with lower levels of trust in web search results are more likely to be against content moderation in web search.
- Score: 49.1574468325115
- License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- Abstract: Internet users highly rely on and trust web search engines, such as Google,
to find relevant information online. However, scholars have documented numerous
biases and inaccuracies in search outputs. To improve the quality of search
results, search engines employ various content moderation practices such as
interface elements informing users about potentially dangerous websites and
algorithmic mechanisms for downgrading or removing low-quality search results.
While the reliance of the public on web search engines and their use of
moderation practices is well-established, user attitudes towards these
practices have not yet been explored in detail. To address this gap, we first
conducted an overview of content moderation practices used by search engines,
and then surveyed a representative sample of the US adult population (N=398) to
examine the levels of support for different moderation practices applied to
potentially misleading and/or potentially offensive content in web search. We
also analyzed the relationship between user characteristics and their support
for specific moderation practices. We find that the most supported practice is
informing users about potentially misleading or offensive content, and the
least supported one is the complete removal of search results. More
conservative users and users with lower levels of trust in web search results
are more likely to be against content moderation in web search.
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