2023 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
Algorithmic Persona: The Impact of the Anthropomorphization of Digital Media on Users
| Project/Area Number |
23KF0074
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| Research Institution | Kansai University |
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Principal Investigator |
水越 伸 関西大学, 社会学部, 教授 (60219623)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
CLAES ARNAUD 関西大学, 社会学部, 外国人特別研究員
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| Project Period (FY) |
2023-04-25 – 2024-03-31
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| Keywords | Media Education / Media Literacy / Website Design / Digital Journalism / Anthropomorphization / Algorithmic Persona / Metaphorical Cognition / Animizm |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
This research project can be divided into two stages: a design stage and an experimental stage. During the design stage, I (Mizukoshi Shin) collaborated with the research fellow (Claes Arnaud) to refine the research protocol. We also jointly drafted the design of the prototype, which was the main component of the research plan.
During the second stage of the research, I managed the selection of the research participants and the spending of our funding. I also shared my research network with Claes Arnaud during his stay in Japan.
Claes Arnaud developed the prototype during the first stage of the research. With the help of part-time students serving as interpreters, he conducted interviews with the research participants in Japan. These interviews are the main data collected during this experiment. Claes Arnaud also conducted interviews in Belgium with Belgian students during a short stay in Belgium in October.
Our experiment allowed us to examine people’s perception of anthropomorphized algorithms. If the design of the system will enable users to understand the technical features behind the anthropomorphized cues, this design strategy eases users’ engagement with these technologies. Our results do not indicate strong cultural differences between Belgian and Japanese users. However, Japanese users were more likely to discuss and question the design of the algorithm, while Belgian users were more likely to accept the design at face value.
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