Responsible opinion formation on debated topics in web search

Alisa Rieger*, Tim Draws, Nicolas Mattis, David Maxwell, David Elsweiler, Ujwal Gadiraju, Dana McKay, Alessandro Bozzon, Maria Soledad Pera

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book / Report / Conference proceedingConference contributionAcademicpeer-review

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Abstract

Web search has evolved into a platform people rely on for opinion formation on debated topics. Yet, pursuing this search intent can carry serious consequences for individuals and society and involves a high risk of biases. We argue that web search can and should empower users to form opinions responsibly and that the information retrieval community is uniquely positioned to lead interdisciplinary efforts to this end. Building on digital humanism—a perspective focused on shaping technology to align with human values and needs—and through an extensive interdisciplinary literature review, we identify challenges and research opportunities that focus on the searcher, search engine, and their complex interplay. We outline a research agenda that provides a foundation for research efforts toward addressing these challenges.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAdvances in Information Retrieval
Subtitle of host publication46th European Conference on Information Retrieval, ECIR 2024, Glasgow, UK, March 24–28, 2024, Proceedings, Part IV
EditorsNazli Goharian, Nicola Tonellotto, Yulan He, Aldo Lipani, Graham McDonald, Craig Macdonald, Iadh Ounis
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages437-465
Number of pages29
Volume4
ISBN (Electronic)9783031560668
ISBN (Print)9783031560651
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024
Event46th European Conference on Information Retrieval, ECIR 2024 - Glasgow, United Kingdom
Duration: 24 Mar 202428 Mar 2024

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
Volume14611 LNCS
ISSN (Print)0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349
NameECIR: European Conference on Information Retrieval
PublisherSpringer
Volume2024

Conference

Conference46th European Conference on Information Retrieval, ECIR 2024
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityGlasgow
Period24/03/2428/03/24

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.

Funding

FundersFunder number
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme860621

    Keywords

    • debated topics
    • opinion formation
    • web search

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