[CS] REMINDER: Brennan Schaffner Candidacy Exam/Nov 11th

[via cs]

This is an announcement of Brennan Schaffner's Candidacy Exam.
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Candidate: Brennan Schaffner

Date: Monday, November 11

Time: 10:00-12:00 CST

Location: JCL 298

Title: Erosion of User Autonomy in the Digital Age: A Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Streaming Platforms

Abstract: The Digital Age is one of revolutionary connectivity and access to information. Yet, the promise of the Internet to be an equitable and empowering space for all has fallen short. The modern technological landscape carries a myriad of failures such as a widened digital divide and an erosion of privacy and user autonomy. Moreover, the tendency for digital platforms to design interface interactions that steer users away from their own best interests and towards the benefit of the platform is all too common. While all design can influence user behavior, many online platforms opt to employ design elements that go beyond neutral influence and cross into the realm of coercion, manipulation, and deception.
These practices are of particular relevance to engagement platforms that rely on capturing and retaining user attention over time. To this end, my research efforts thus far focus on Streaming Video-On-Demand (SVOD) platforms---particularly Netflix, the first and largest SVOD to date.
 
As people increasingly turn to SVODs like Netflix for entertainment, the design of these platforms often leverages coercive techniques to minimize opportunities for users to reflectively pause or consciously transition onto off-platform activities. The work in this dissertation explores the complexities of this ever-evolving dynamic through qualitative investigation and thorough experimentation.

The work in this dissertation is comprised of three chapters: 1) uncovering subtleties in the modern interactions between streaming platforms and their users through investigative interviews; 2) statistically measuring the quantitative effects that platform choices have on user behavior through controlled in-the-wild experiments; and 3) a meta-analysis of literature to-date that challenges prevailing assumptions about user agency and deceptive design motivated by results of the previous chapters.

Advisors: Marshini Chetty

Committee: Colin M. Gray, Alex Kale, Lior Strahilevitz, Chenhao Tan