Nudging Choices through Media: User Experiences and Their Ethical and Philosophical Implications for Humanity

Abstract

This chapter looks at how users make sense of algorithmic nudging. Based on a series of conversations with users and researchers, we explore how users perceive and react to the process of algorithmic nudges in digital media. These media include social media, Internet experiences, and both ambient and worn digital monitoring devices. We present an informal, journalistic accounting of the views and concerns that arise from algorithmic nudging. We draw on comments from the people we spoke with as a springboard for reflecting on the perceived senses of individuality, feelings of humanity (which is to say a feeling of being human), and direct and subtle influences on behavior. We also draw on the imaginarium perspective of algorithmic nudging to understand users’ anxieties and also map their intellectual schemata on to a set of civil and personal concerns. Our goals are modest: we claim neither scientific certitude nor comprehensive coverage through our discussions.