Introduction

The purpose with this 2-year research project was to explore how patterns of bias in collaborative information production online can become more transparent by including tools that analyze and visualize aggregated trustworthiness.

When traditional venues for information dissemination aren’t reliable and information is needed immediately, like in a crisis situation, we turn to other trustworthy sources like family, friends and extended networks. Network validation and trusted relations also play a significant role when evaluating credibility online. To join many pieces of information and create a patchwork of credibility is also easier in an online setting, enabling more participatory public spheres. However, credible sources can be one-sided and do not necessarily give accurate information about more complex problems, especially where a diversity of perspectives or a certain expertise is required. Therefore we need means to analyze “aggregated trustworthiness”: Credibility through network validation.

The project was developed by Karin Hansson, researcher at the Department of Computer & System Science at Stockholm University, together with Love Ekenberg and  Wei Liu from International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis, IIASA in Austria, and Somya Joshi at eGovlab Stockholm University in Sweden.

The project was funded thanks to the Anna Ahlströms & Ellen Terserus foundation.

For more information contact:
Karin Hansson
khansson@dsv.su.se
+1 646 706 62 83
http://people.dsv.su.se/~khansson/