The Influence of Content-Based Recommendation Algorithms in New Media—Mainly Focusing on Young People in College

Abstract

The content-based algorithmic recommendation mechanism of new media has brought immeasurable impact to users, which liberates users from the vast ocean of information and can efficiently obtain the content they want. But this algorithmic recommendation also brings many negative effects, especially for the young people who are mainstream users of new media. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the impact of algorithm technology on young users. The research question of this paper is: how does new media algorithm recommendation affect young people? This study mainly takes the undergraduates of a Chinese University and three YouTubers as the research sample and explores the impact of algorithm recommendation on them through questionnaires and online interviews. Through the analysis of the data, it is found that the algorithm recommendation of new media has a certain negative impact on young people. Specifically, the algorithm recommendation mechanism allows them to enter the information cocoon room, wastes their time, causes unnecessary impulse consumption, and increases the anxiety of young content creators.