“Jag vill välja själv” : En kvalitativ studie om hur algoritmisk personalisering påverkar de icke-kommersiella användarnas upplevelse på Instagram

Sammanfattning: Information on the web is constantly growing and ​algorithmic personalization ​is getting more and more vital for helping people to find the information they are looking for. But algorithmic personalization has during the recent years also become a means for social media platforms to organize their content in a way that according to them will add an extra user value. A statement that according to many social media users is more of a modified truth. This study examines how algorithms in the form of personalization affects the ​user experience (UX) ​for Instagrams non-commercial users specifically in the feed. It also examines how these users come in contact with the algorithmic personalization and whether their overall experience with it is ​positive or negative​. The study further identifies and defines the pros and cons of the personalization by studying users attitudes towards the phenomena before investigating how these attitudes can affect their user behaviour. We ​used a qualitative method with low structured interviews to gather this information and examine the result by using a content analysis with a predefined focus on UX concepts such as: usability, findability ​and ​credibility ​which all contributes to the sense of ​value ​and ​desire ​for the platform. The show that users find parts of the personalization both confusing and frustrating. Findings also show users have low faith for the platforms continued use of personalizing algorithms. Our study provide valuable insights on the experience of users and on algorithms that are useful for both social media developers and other businesses looking to evolve with personalization.