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arXiv · 2405.01165

How A/B testing changes the dynamics of information spreading on a social network

Matteo Ottaviani·Stefan M. Herzog·Pietro Leonardo Nickl·Philipp Lorenz-Spreen
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Abstract

A/B testing methodology is generally performed by private companies to increase user engagement and satisfaction about online features. Their usage is far from being transparent and may undermine user autonomy (e.g. polarizing individual opinions, mis- and dis- information spreading). For our analysis we leverage a crucial case study dataset (i.e. Upworthy) where news headlines were allocated to users and reshuffled for optimizing clicks. Our centre of focus is to determine how and under which conditions A/B testing affects the distribution of content on the collective level, specifically on different social network structures. In order to achieve that, we set up an agent-based model reproducing social interaction and an individual decision-making model. Our preliminary results indicate that A/B testing has a substantial influence on the qualitative dynamics of information dissemination on a social network. Moreover, our modeling framework promisingly embeds conjecturing policy (e.g. nudging, boosting) interventions.

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Matteo Ottaviani, Stefan M. Herzog, Pietro Leonardo Nickl, Philipp Lorenz-Spreen. 2024-05-02. How A/B testing changes the dynamics of information spreading on a social network. https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.01165

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