Their concerns have escalated since COVID-19 unleashed a wave of anti-vaccination zealots. According to a new study from the University of Washington, the world’s leading online retailer is amplifying the hysteria. They also discovered a filter-bubble effect that leads users who engage with misinformative products to be recommended more of the same. [Read: How much does it cost to buy, own, and run an EV? It’s not as much as you think] They tested a list of 48 search queries about 10 popular vaccine-related topics, such as “HPV vaccine” and “immunization,” without logging into the platform. The results were then annotated as promoting, neutral, or debunking health misinformation. They found that products promoting misinformation consistently outperformed those that debunk false claims. Study authors Prerna Juneja and Tanu Mitra said over 10% of the results they received promoted misinformation health products.
An echo chamber effect
They did this by performing typical user actions, such as clicking on an item. The study authors describe this process as ” a problematic recommendation loop.” “There is an urgent need for the platform to treat vaccine and other health-related topics differently and ensure high-quality searches and recommendations,” they said. You can read their full study paper here.
