The Media Change & Innovation Division of IKMZ has started a new research project that empirically investigates the significance of automated algorithmic selection applications for central domains of everyday life: political orientation, commercial transactions, socializing and recreation.

• How extensively are algorithmic selection applications used in different domains of everyday lives?
• What subjective importance do people attribute to algorithmic selection applications?
• How aware are people of algorithms, and how do they react to identified risks?

This project (Significance of Algorithmic Selection), chaired by Prof. Michael Latzer and supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), applies an innovative mixed-methods research design to answer these questions: It includes qualitative interviews and the combination of a representative Swiss online survey with the tracking (passive metering) of online activities both on desktop/laptop computers and mobile devices.

The results of this first country-wide, representative empirical study will provide an empirical basis for public policies.