The Influence of the Warning Label on Information Narrowing

While it is widely acknowledged that algorithmic filtering effectively links user needs to the system, an increasing number of individuals express concern about the limited access to information (i.e., information narrowing) resulting from personalization. On this basis, we investigate the formation mechanism of information narrowing and the role of user selective bias towards their preferred content in this process, to improve the understanding of the “information cocoons” phenomenon in a short video context. Further, we propose a nudging approach - specifically, a warning label - to influence users’ recommendation acceptance. We also examine the warning label nudging on different user types by a three-way moderation model, including teenagers and adults. This study demonstrates that personalized recommendations exacerbate information narrowing and presents a way to increase users’ acceptance of diversified content. For social media platforms, our results illustrate the value of providing meaningful recommendations, particularly emphasizing the development of teenage users.