TPRC 2024: The 52nd Research Conference on Communications, Information and Inter

Link to paper

Abstract:
Scholarly inquiry has yet to comprehensively explore the impact of Internet connectivity levels on dynamics related to online echo chambers, trust in online social networks (OSNs), and concern by users for algorithmic manipulation. To investigate the relationship between OSN users’ attitudes regarding online echo chambers, trust in OSN platforms, and concerns about algorithmic manipulation and Internet connectivity, we conducted a survey of more than 700 OSN users across diverse contexts. We collected responses from the United States, United Kingdom, India, and South Africa about attitudes and beliefs toward encountering discordant information in online settings. We integrate our survey response data with existing datasets from the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) which indexes infrastructure, affordability, consumer readiness, and content & services to analyze mobile connectivity in a country. Our study reveals marked differences in users’ reported concerns for prevalence of OSN echo chambers, trust in OSNs as a source for news information, and concern for algorithmic manipulation depending on the level of Internet connectivity in various geographic regions. Our findings will aid global policymakers in tailoring policies addressing the aforementioned and related Internet phenomena to suit the specific context of Internet accessibility within the targeted country.