February 25, 2018.
From June to December 2017, Build Up, in
partnership with MIT MISTI and with funding from
HumanityX and The City of The Hague, ran a pilot
program that explored interventions to address
polarization on Facebook and Twitter in the USA.
The Commons
tested protocols for addressing filter
bubbles and polarizing behaviors that have become
destabilizing in civic conversations in the USA. Large-
scale automation and mapping of data has already
shown the possibility to recognize and conceptualize
filter bubbles. Research shows that cross-cutting
encounters can moderate polemic views, and that
automated protocols can initiate engagement
processes. Drawing from successful frameworks
of prior research and peacebuilding practice, The
Commons pilot identified polarizing filter bubbles,
used automation (bots and targeted ads) to contact
people in these bubbles, and deployed trained
dialogue facilitators to follow up with people who
responded positively to the automated intervention.
This evaluation report explores the process, results
and impact of The Commons pilot. We first outline
the objectives, process and methods used for pilot
implementation – from data scraping and analysis to
automated protocols to dialogue interventions – in
order to contextualize what results and impact could
be expected.
- : http://howtobuildup.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/The-Commons-A-pilot-methodology-for-addressing-polarization-online-2-27-18.pdf
- : Build Up, MIT PeaceTech Initiative, The City of The Hague’s Cross Over Fund , HumanityX
- : Build Up, MIT PeaceTech Initiative, The City of The Hague’s Cross Over Fund , HumanityX