Algorithms in feed-based SNS and their influence on digital platform User Habits : A quantitative study of the link between algorithms in feed-based SNS and user habits amongst high-school and university students in Sweden

Abstract: This research intended to investigate how the arising SNS component of algorithms acts as a mediator for affecting SNS user habits amongst high school and university students in Sweden. The testing of this specific correlation was realized by first investigating previous research regarding algorithms, various components of user habits, and the complementary component of algorithm awareness separately. By extracting interesting and valuable findings from the previous studies, a questionnaire was constructed, implementing the previous knowledge into the response alternatives to provide components useful for building testing variables. The questionnaire collected 419 respondents, whereas 341 were considered valid after implementing a sampling phase based on the specified demographics. Testing variables were conceptualized to be able to provide the ability of testing in SPSS to show statistical significance by using chi-square testing. This was conducted to test 4 hypotheses, grounded on what was to be answered by the 2 research questions. The testing of the variables was not able to provide any statistical significance and had in general low testing validity. Thus, none of the hypotheses could be accepted, which furtherly did not provide scientifically valid answers to any of the research questions. Several potential factors could be considered to have impaired the testing, including the complexity of the variable construction, and an imbalance between the volume of respondents fitting within the constructed variables to mention a few majorly discussed arguments. However, the data collection provided valuable insights, answer data frequencies, and knowledge that have the potential to facilitate future studies, both regarding the perspective of informatics and also a range of areas of which perspective was not used for this research. Hence, it also enables and suggests future studies to evaluate the collected data, reconstruct variables, or investigating interesting responses of questions left redundant.