Weizenbaum Library (Weizenbaum Institute)
Not a member yet
864 research outputs found
Sort by
The standard form under pressure? On the ecological reconfiguration of product presentation using the example of consumables
Full text linkThis article provides a framework for analyzing valorizations and justifications for ecologically sustainable everyday products. By drawing on theoretical arguments from the French neo pragmatist approach of economics of conventions, especially the idea of enrichment, we develop a typology of valorizations that distinguishes between analytic and narrative presentations. A qualitative empirical analysis of green alternatives to standard consumables, such as coffee, textiles or hygiene products, is used to help explain the strategies by which sustainable products are placed and marketed. We state that sustainable product presentations use a range of established forms of valorization that also affects the justification of their often-higher prices. We conclude that the standard form of consumables comes under pressure while capitalist actors appear to incorporate the growing ecologic critique with a set of ecologic enrichments
Digital Inclusion Through Algorithmic Knowledge: Curated Flows of Civic and Political Information on Instagram
Full text linkSocial media platforms are a critical source of civic and political information. We examine the use of Instagram to acquire news as well as civic and political information using nationally representative survey data gathered in 2019 in the US, the UK, France, and Canada (n = 2,440). We investigate active curation practices (following news organizations, political candidates or parties, and nonprofit organizations or charities) and passive curation practices (liking friends’ political posts and those from parties or politicians and nonprofits or charities). Young adults (18 to 24 years) are far more likely to curate their Instagram feed than older adults in all four countries. We consider two possible explanations for this behavior: political interest and an understanding of how algorithms work. Young adults have more (self-assessed) knowledge of algorithms in all four countries. Algorithmic knowledge relates to curation practices, but there are some cross-national differences. Algorithmic knowledge is theoretically relevant for passive curation practices and the UK sample provides support for the stronger role of algorithmic knowledge in passive than active curation. In all four countries, political interest positively relates to active and passive curation practices. These findings challenge depictions of young adults as news avoiders; instead, they demonstrate that algorithmic knowledge can help curate the flow of information from news organizations as well as civic and political groups on Instagram. While algorithmic knowledge enables youth’s digital inclusion, for older adults, the lack of knowledge may contribute to digital exclusion as they do not know how to curate their information flows.This work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Grant No. 435–2019–04–94
Enabling Research with Publicly Accessible Platform Data: Early DSA Compliance Issues and Suggestions for Improvement
Full text linkThe EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) requires very large online platforms and search engines (VLOPs) to provide publicly accessible data to researchers meeting certain requirements (Article 40(12)). While some platforms have taken laudable steps to implement such data access opportunities, serious concerns remain about full compliance with the DSA in this regard. This is reflected in the European Commission’s effort to request information from 17 VLOPs on how they comply with Article 40(12).
Currently, researchers from academia and civil society still face significant hurdles when trying to request publicly accessible data from VLOPs. To provide the Commission and Digital Services Coordinators with insights for their oversight work, this paper offers an analysis of early experiences with Article 40(12) data access requests and suggestions for improvement. It is based on conversations with researchers and on data collected through the DSA 40 Data Access Tracker.The Weizenbaum Institute is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF
Outside the Black Box: From Algorithmic Transparency to Platform Observability in the Digital Services Act
Full text linkAlgorithmic transparency is high on the agenda for social media regulation. However, recent work in Science and Technology Studies questions whether this endeavor of “opening the black box” is feasible or even meaningful due to the sociotechnical contingency of platform behavior. To address these shortcomings, Bernhard Rieder and Jeannette Hofmann have proposed a move from algorithmic transparency to platform observability: a pragmatic and sociotechnical perspective aimed at securing structural, real-time access to the means of platform knowledge production. This paper applies the concept of observability to recent legislative developments in the EU’s new Digital Services Act. Reviewing that legislation’s transparency rules demonstrates how familiar algorithmic principles rules are starting to be complemented by innovative new observability policies and how these reflect revised understandings of transparency’s possible subjects, functions, and formats. This review also surfaces normative tensions in observability policy. In terms of substance, observability demands access to content but struggles to discern public from private discourses in semi-public social media channels. In terms of function, observability aims to act as a companion to regulation, but tensions arise between a broad concept of knowledge production and a narrow concept of regulatory compliance monitoring. In terms of format, observability’s drive for infrastructural and real-time access entails new API governance tradeoffs between, for example, scope and scalability. Along these lines, observability paves the way for a more constructive debate around platform data access laws and the dead ends of algorithmic transparency.This publication has been funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF) (grant no.: 16DII121, 16DII122, 16DII123, 16DII124, 16DII125, 16DII126, 16DII127, 16DII128 – “Deutsches Internet-Institut”)
The Rebound Effects of Automation
Full text linkThis contribution argues for a shift in the paradigms by which we assess the impact of automation on work. The suggested theoretical lens provides an explanation for the paradox of rising employment figures despite continuous automation. Capitalist development entails tendencies of rising complexity and acceleration of economic relationships, tendencies that are taken to extremes in digital capitalism. Therefore, we need to acknowledge countertendencies to a substitution of work, framed as three rebound effects of automation: rising complexity of production and the division of labour, work related to the introduction of automation and work needed to mitigate the societal consequences of capitalist development. Using short case studies on work in logistics, industry and care, the implementation of digital technology is shown to be partly motivated by the labour market situation – automation technologies are introduced to mitigate labour shortages. However, the case studies also illustrate the exuberant expectations about the effects of digitalisation in this respect. While the narratives behind the introduction of digital technologies are heavily shaped by the motivation to combat labour shortages, the actual technologies are barely equipped to do so. Conflicts about the (relief from) an excessive burden at work begin to take on centre stage in industrial relations.This work has been funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF) (grant no.: 16DII131, 16DII132, 16DII133 – “Deutsches Internet-Institut”)
Weizenbaum Panel’s Literature Digest: March 2024
No full textDer Literatur Digest ist eine monatlich erscheinende Zusammenstellung des aktuellen Forschungsstandes zu Themen an der Schnittstelle zwischen Digitalisierung und Politik. Er präsentiert die neuesten Erkenntnisse zu Fragen der politischen Partizipation und guter Bürgerschaft in Zeiten der Digitalisierung.The Literature Digest is a monthly compilation of the current state of research on topics at the nexus of digitalization and politics. It presents the latest findings on issues of political participation and good citizenship in times of digitalization
The Automation of Management and the Multiplication of Labor: On the Role of Algorithmic Management in the Recomposition of Labor
Full text linkDigital technologies are increasingly used to automatically organize, measure, and control labor in many sectors and industries. This article offers an analysis of how digital technologies, particularly algorithmic management, not only reshape the ways in which work is done and controlled but also drive profound transformations in the division and composition of labor. Drawing on qualitative and ethnographic studies of the gig economy, this research article demonstrates how the digital automation of management serves as a prerequisite for efficiently and flexibly incorporating highly heterogeneous workforces into production processes. This is first demonstrated by an analysis of the online gig economy and its capacity to integrate a wide range of geographically dispersed workers into digital production processes. Then, the paper examines the role of migrant labor in the urban gig economy, contending that in this context too, digital technologies and algorithmic management play a crucial role in the flexible and efficient inclusion of highly diverse workforces. This ultimately illustrates how digital technologies for automated management are integral to a multifaceted process of workforce heterogenization, a phenomenon that can be conceptualized within the framework of the multiplication of labor.This publication has been funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany (BMBF) (grant no.: 16DII121, 16DII122, 16DII123, 16DII124, 16DII125, 16DII126, 16DII127, 16DII128 – “Deutsches Internet-Institut”)
User-driven prioritization of ethical principles for artificial intelligence systems
Full text linkDespite the progress of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its contribution to the advancement of human society, the prioritization of ethical principles from the viewpoint of its users has not yet received much attention and empirical investigations. This is important to develop appropriate safeguards and increase the acceptance of AI-mediated technologies among all members of society. In this research, we collected, integrated, and prioritized ethical principles for AI systems with respect to their relevance in different real-life application scenarios. First, an overview of ethical principles for AI was systematically derived from various academic and non-academic sources. Our results clearly show that transparency, justice and fairness, non-maleficence, responsibility, and privacy are most frequently mentioned in this corpus of documents. Next, an empirical survey to systematically identify users’ priorities was designed and conducted in the context of selected scenarios: AI-mediated recruitment (human resources), predictive policing, autonomous vehicles, and hospital robots. We anticipate that the resulting ranking can serve as a valuable basis for formulating requirements for AI-mediated solutions and creating AI algorithms that prioritize user’s needs. Our target audience includes everyone who will be affected by AI systems, e.g., policy makers, algorithm developers, and system managers as our ranking clearly depicts user’s awareness regarding AI ethics
Unravelling passive social media use through screenomes
Full text linkThe active-passive framework to social media use and well-being promised nuanced insights, yet effects of passive use have been mixed. One reason could be the enormous heterogeneity of the ‘passive use’ concept, which encompasses various social media features, actions, and contents. This study applies the conceptual lenses of the hierarchical CMC taxonomy and social media content genres to unpack and explore this heterogeneity of passive social media use. We use a random sample of smartphone screenshots (‘screenomics’) drawn from 703,827 sequential screenshots collected from 20 participants over a two-week period to content analyze 10,000 screenshots. Results reveal substantial heterogeneity and patterns with in passive use across four analytical levels: branded application, feature, modality, and content topics/genres. As the effects of social media on well-being may often be caused by content or design features, our study provides insights into how passive use can be broken down into more meaningful units of analysis
Crossers in a Segmented Labour Market: Occupational Advancement and Wage Changes from Semi-Skilled and Unskilled Jobs
Full text linkHow the upward mobility chances of workers in unskilled or semi-skilled jobs are shaped by influences at the organisational and sectoral level remains an open question. This article aims to close this research gap by examining the role of internal labour market characteristics in the promotion prospects and wage increases of workers in semi-skilled and unskilled positions. The hypotheses are derived from dual and segmented labour market theory. Regression analyses based on linked-employer-employee-data (LIAB), covering 44,024 workers in semi-skilled and unskilled positions from 2005 to 2010, underline the importance of the internal labour market. A considerable share of workers moved to skilled positions through company change. For the workers who stayed with the company, career advancements were associated with regular training investments and formalised regulations at the company level. Collective agreements, in contrast, were associated with lower chances of upward mobility, but higher wages