6 papers
Functional Misalignment in Human-AI Interactions on Digital Platforms
Kristina Lerman
Algorithmic systems, particularly social media recommenders, have achieved remarkable success in predicting behavior. By optimizing for observable signals such as clicks, views, an…
Tied In on TikTok: Tie Strength and Emotional Dynamics in Algorithmic Communities
Charles Bickham, Minh Duc Chu, Arianna Yuan +5
Whether genuine communities can form on algorithmically-driven short-form video platforms like TikTok remains an open question, given that user interactions are often brief, disper…
Emergence of Structural Disparities in the Web of Scientific Citations
Buddhika Nettasinghe, Nazanin Alipourfard, Vikram Krishnamurthy +1
Scientific attention is unevenly distributed, creating inequities in recognition and distorting access to opportunities. Using citations as a proxy, we quantify disparities in atte…
Illusions of Intimacy: How Emotional Dynamics Shape Human-AI Relationships
Minh Duc Chu, Patrick Gerard, Kshitij Pawar +2
AI companion chatbots, such as those offered by Replika and CharacterAI, increasingly function as always-available companions that provide empathy, validation, and support. While t…
EDTok: A Dataset for Eating Disorder Content on TikTok
Charles Bickham, Bryan Ramirez-Gonzalez, Minh Duc Chu +2
Eating disorders, which include anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with increased diagnoses linked to heightened exposure to idea…
Safe Spaces or Toxic Places? Content Moderation and Social Dynamics of Online Eating Disorder Communities
Kristina Lerman, Minh Duc Chu, Charles Bickham +2
Social media platforms have become critical spaces for discussing mental health concerns, including eating disorders. While these platforms can provide valuable support networks, t…