“信息茧房”在西方:似是而非的概念与算法的“破茧”求解

桑斯坦提出的"信息茧房",基于美国两党政治的语境对新技术降低政治信息多元化以及政治信息极化的忧虑,如今却被泛用于所有信息。但是西方学界尚无有力研究证实"信息茧房"的存在。事实上,造成"信息茧房"的单纯信息环境很难在现实中出现。Web2.0技术提供了与志同道合的人讨论问题的机会,也增加了与那些持不同观点的人讨论问题的可能性,很难形成信息茧房和回音室。本文也探讨了算法优化以降低信息茧房风险的可能性。算法技术对多样性的提升主要基于两种路径:第一种路径是使个性化推荐系统的使用者"意识到未知";第二种路径是通过加深"个性化"来有效增强"多样性"。本文分析了信息聚合及其积极意义,以及Web2.0技术条件下"积极的受众(用户)"的可能。文中讨论了一些"除茧""破茧"的可能途径。我们不认同桑斯坦提出的偶然性信息的解决方案,认为真正要解决"信息茧房"之忧的问题,不如回到问题提出的原点,将实验条件下的单纯信息环境还原到人们的真实信息环境中,反省"信息茧房"这个虽有衍生空间和警示价值,却仍似是而非、缺乏科学证据的概念。

"Information Cocoons" in the West:Plausible Concepts and "Cocoons’ Breaking" Solution with Algorithms

Prof. C. R. Sunstein’s "information cocoons", which is based on the context of American politics and concerns about new technologies reducing the diversity of political information and the polarization of political information, is now being used across all information. However, there is not yet empirically "information cocoons" existence of authoritative research. Web 2.0 technology provides an opportunity to discuss issues with like-minded people, and also increases the likelihood of discussing issues with people with different views, making it difficult to form information cocoons and echo chambers. This paper also discusses the possibility of algorithm optimization to reduce the risk of information cocoons. The improvement of diversity by algorithmic technology is mainly based on two paths, the first one is to make the users of personalized recommendation system "know the unknown", and analyzes the positive significance of information aggregation, as well as the possibility of "active audience(users)" under the condition of Web 2.0 technology, that is, "information cocoons" is difficult to form. Approaches to explore the possible ways to eliminate the information cocoons and break the information cocoons are introduced in the paper. The author does not agree with the solution of ’architecture of serendipity’ put forward by Sunstein, thinks that it is better to go back to the origin of the proposed, restore the single information environment under experimental conditions to the scene of people’s real environment, to reflect on the concept of "information cocoons" itself.