Comment Section Personalization: Algorithmic, Interface, and Interaction Design

Abstract

Comment sections allow users to share their personal experiences, discuss and form different opinions, and build communities out of organic conversations. However, many comment sections present chronological ranking to all users. In this paper, I discuss personalization approaches in comment sections based on different objectives for newsrooms and researchers to consider. I propose algorithmic and interface designs when personalizing the presentation of comments based on different objectives including relevance, diversity, and education/background information. I further explain how transparency, user control, and comment type diversity could help users most benefit from the personalized interacting experience.

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