Social Media Algorithms & Politics Study -

Explanation of the Research

You are being asked to participate in a research study. Researchers are required to provide a consent form to inform you about the research study, to convey that participation is voluntary, to explain risks and benefits of participation including why you might or might not want to participate, and to empower you to make an informed decision. You should feel free to discuss and ask the researchers any questions you may have.

You are being asked to participate in a research study about how people become aware of, think about, and interact with the processes by which content becomes visible online, particularly in relation to U.S. politics and within the BreadTube community. Your participation in this study will take 60-90 minutes. You will be asked to respond to a series of questions about you and your use of social media. You will also be asked to navigate to your favorite social media site to demonstrate how you normally use the site for news and information.

The most likely risk of participating in this study is that some participants may experience embarrassment or discomfort while demo-ing their use of social media for news and information, as a result of content that appears in their news feed. There are no other foreseeable physical, psychological, or financial risks to participating.

You will not directly benefit from your participation in this study. However, your participation in this study may contribute to our understanding of how people learn about and make sense of the processes by which content becomes visible on social media, as well as the role these processes plays in the politics.

You must be at least 18 years old to participate in this research.

Purpose of the Research

This study investigates how people become aware of, think about, and interact with the processes by which content becomes visible online, particularly in relation to U.S. politics. The aim is to broader our understanding of digital literacy and its role in democratic processes.

What You Will Be Asked to Do

The interview will last approximately one and a half hours. It will begin with questions about you and your use of social media. I will ask you to navigate to your favorite social media site to demonstrate how you normally use the site for news and information. I will not record any sensitive or personally-identifiable information that I may see as part of this task. Following this will be a series of questions about what you know about the processes by which content becomes visible on social media, how you feel about these processes, and how they impact your use of social media and your engagement with political and social issues. After the interview, you will be asked to complete a brief questionnaire, providing information about your demographic background and use of social media.

You are free to not answer any question, or to stop participating at any time.

When the interview is done, you will receive a link to a short questionnaire via email. After that, you will receive $25 in the form of a gift card.

The interview will be recorded and later transcribed for data analysis. Interviews will be analyzed anonymously and in aggregate across all participants. Findings will be used for publication, scholarly presentations, and/or teaching only.

Benefits of Participation

While this study is not expected to yield any immediate benefit to individual participants, it will add to our knowledge of how people learn about and make sense of the processes by which content becomes visible on social media, as well as the role these processes plays in the political process.

Risks of Participation

Privacy and Confidentiality

The audio of the interview will be recorded and later transcribed. The researcher will also take notes during the interview. Your interview will be assigned a study ID number, and after the audio of the interview is transcribed all traces of your real name or other identifying information will be removed from the transcript.

The results of this study, including anonymized quotes and excerpts from transcripts, may be used for things like teaching and publications, or they may be shared with other researchers. But your identity and the identities of all of the other participants will always remain anonymous in any communications about this study. Your confidentiality will be protected to the maximum extent allowable by law.

All data and signed consent forms will be stored on the researcher’s password-protected computer, which will be stored in office space requiring key access, and in HIPAA-compliant cloud backup storage. Anonymous post-interview questionnaire data will also be stored on Qualtrics’ cloud server. The data will be kept for a maximum of five years.

The Arizona State University Office of Research Integrity and Assurance may have access to the above research data as well.

Your Right to Participate, Say No, or Withdraw

You have the right to say no to participate in the research. You may refuse to participate or discontinue participation at any time without penalty or loss of benefits to which you would otherwise be entitled.

Costs and Compensation for Participation

There are no financial costs for participating in this study.

You will receive $25 for your participation in the study.

Future Research

Information that identifies you will be removed from interview transcripts. After such removal, the transcripts could be used for future research studies or distributed to another investigator for future research studies without additional informed consent from you.

Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about this study after your participation—such as scientific issues, how to do any part of it, or to report an injury—you can call email me at kcotter3@asu.edu. Alternately, you may contact the supervising researcher for this study:

Dr. Alexander Halavais – theprof@asu.edu

If you have any questions about your rights as a subject/participant in this research, or if you feel you have been placed at risk, you can contact the Chair of the Human Subjects Institutional Review Board, through the ASU Office of Research Integrity and Assurance, at (480) 965-6788. Please let me know if you wish to be part of the study.

This work is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. SES-1946678.