The Information Cocoon Is Overstated

As the public pays more and more attention to algorithm recommendation technology,information cocoons is often discussed by the public and has gradually become a research hotspot in the academic circle.Both the academic and media circles are critical of algorithm recommendation technology,and regard the information cocoon room as the evil result of abusing algorithm technology.However,there are misuses of the "Information cocoons" hypothesis in the existing research in the academic circle.The misuse is embodied in two points.One is to ignore the fact that the"Information cocoons" is a hypothesis and treat it as a mature theoretical use..The second is to simplify the concept and context of the "Information cocoons",and regard the algorithm recommendation technology as the culprit that brings the"Information cocoons".The"Information cocoons" hypothesis still lacks empirical data support.This study measures the user's political orientation,political interest,media use and other variables,and evaluates the possibility of users being in the information cocoon room.It is found that media diversity and political interest can effectively inhibit the formation of the information cocoon room,and individual selective information contact The stronger the willingness to act,the lower the tolerance for heterogeneous views,and the higher the possibility of exposure to the cocoon.In addition,the influence of political tendencies on the cocoon house effect is minimal.There is no significant difference in the risk of users with different political stances being exposed to the cocoon.The current evidence shows that the "Information cocoons" phenomenon only exists in a small number of groups.The risks of the information cocoon are exaggerated.Only a small number of users obtain information through a single platform,and more users often learn about news through multiple media channels.In addition,even users who are not very interested in politics can effectively avoid the risk of "Information cocoons" by contacting different media.The conditional single information environment of the laboratory conceived by the"Information cocoons" hypothesis is difficult to achieve in reality.Political logic has played a more fundamental role in criticizing public opinion on algorithm technology.For the misuse and criticism of information cocoon rooms in academia,the official media and market-oriented media both hold a critical attitude towards algorithms,and the two phenomena are connected.The official media always occupies a core position in this battle of public opinion.This conflict is not only the impact of the rise of new media on the traditional propaganda system,but also an official response to adjusting its own strategies and changing governance concepts.At the same time,there is not a simple causal relationship between information cocoon room and algorithm recommendation.The reason is that the algorithm technology is dynamic and is constantly adjusted and revised.Relying on algorithmic recommendations to aggregate audiences and distributing information is the current trend in the media industry.