Publications
Explore the publications from our RecSys laboratory.
1.
Wagne, Ahmadou; Neidhardt, Julia; Kolb, Thomas Elmar
PopAut: An Annotated Corpus for Populism Detection in Austrian News Comments Proceedings Article
In: Calzolari, Nicoletta; Kan, Min-Yen; Hoste, Veronique; Lenci, Alessandro; Sakti, Sakriani; Xue, Nianwen (Ed.): Proceedings of the 2024 Joint International Conference on Computational Linguistics, Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC-COLING 2024), pp. 12879–12892, ELRA and ICCL, Torino, Italy, 2024.
@inproceedings{Wagne_Neidhardt_Kolb_2024,
title = {PopAut: An Annotated Corpus for Populism Detection in Austrian News Comments},
author = {Ahmadou Wagne and Julia Neidhardt and Thomas Elmar Kolb},
editor = {Nicoletta Calzolari and Min-Yen Kan and Veronique Hoste and Alessandro Lenci and Sakriani Sakti and Nianwen Xue},
url = {https://aclanthology.org/2024.lrec-main.1128},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-05-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2024 Joint International Conference on Computational Linguistics, Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC-COLING 2024)},
pages = {12879–12892},
publisher = {ELRA and ICCL},
address = {Torino, Italy},
abstract = {Populism is a phenomenon that is noticeably present in the political landscape of various countries over the past decades. While populism expressed by politicians has been thoroughly examined in the literature, populism expressed by citizens is still underresearched, especially when it comes to its automated detection in text. This work presents the PopAut corpus, which is the first annotated corpus of news comments for populism in the German language. It features 1,200 comments collected between 2019-2021 that are annotated for populist motives anti-elitism, people-centrism and people-sovereignty. Following the definition of Cas Mudde, populism is seen as a thin ideology. This work shows that annotators reach a high agreement when labeling news comments for these motives. The data set is collected to serve as the basis for automated populism detection using machine-learning methods. By using transformer-based models, we can outperform existing dictionaries tailored for automated populism detection in German social media content. Therefore our work provides a rich resource for future work on the classification of populist user comments in the German language.},
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Populism is a phenomenon that is noticeably present in the political landscape of various countries over the past decades. While populism expressed by politicians has been thoroughly examined in the literature, populism expressed by citizens is still underresearched, especially when it comes to its automated detection in text. This work presents the PopAut corpus, which is the first annotated corpus of news comments for populism in the German language. It features 1,200 comments collected between 2019-2021 that are annotated for populist motives anti-elitism, people-centrism and people-sovereignty. Following the definition of Cas Mudde, populism is seen as a thin ideology. This work shows that annotators reach a high agreement when labeling news comments for these motives. The data set is collected to serve as the basis for automated populism detection using machine-learning methods. By using transformer-based models, we can outperform existing dictionaries tailored for automated populism detection in German social media content. Therefore our work provides a rich resource for future work on the classification of populist user comments in the German language.
2.
Godolja, Dante; Kolb, Thomas Elmar; Neidhardt, Julia
Unlocking the Potential of Content-Based Restaurant Recommender Systems Proceedings Article
In: Berezina, Katerina; Nixon, Lyndon; Tuomi, Aarni (Ed.): Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2024, pp. 239–244, Springer Nature Switzerland, Cham, 2024, ISBN: 978-3-031-58839-6.
@inproceedings{10.1007/978-3-031-58839-6_26,
title = {Unlocking the Potential of Content-Based Restaurant Recommender Systems},
author = {Dante Godolja and Thomas Elmar Kolb and Julia Neidhardt},
editor = {Katerina Berezina and Lyndon Nixon and Aarni Tuomi},
isbn = {978-3-031-58839-6},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
booktitle = {Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2024},
pages = {239–244},
publisher = {Springer Nature Switzerland},
address = {Cham},
abstract = {Content-based restaurant recommender systems use features such as cuisine type, price range, and location to suggest dining options to users. Current research explores ways to improve their effectiveness. In this work, we explore different ideas on how to build a recommender system. We explore TF-IDF as a baseline and the state-of-the-art model SBERT. These ideas are tested on a real-world data-set of a digital restaurant guide. Evaluation involves both qualitative assessment by a domain expert and quantitative analysis. The results show that, with proper preprocessing, TF-IDF can achieve similar scores to SBERT and, depending on the scenario, even better results. However, SBERT still provides more novel recommendations than TF-IDF. Depending on the scenario, both models can be used to generate meaningful restaurant recommendations. However, more implicit aspects like a restaurant's atmosphere can hardly be captured by these models.},
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Content-based restaurant recommender systems use features such as cuisine type, price range, and location to suggest dining options to users. Current research explores ways to improve their effectiveness. In this work, we explore different ideas on how to build a recommender system. We explore TF-IDF as a baseline and the state-of-the-art model SBERT. These ideas are tested on a real-world data-set of a digital restaurant guide. Evaluation involves both qualitative assessment by a domain expert and quantitative analysis. The results show that, with proper preprocessing, TF-IDF can achieve similar scores to SBERT and, depending on the scenario, even better results. However, SBERT still provides more novel recommendations than TF-IDF. Depending on the scenario, both models can be used to generate meaningful restaurant recommendations. However, more implicit aspects like a restaurant’s atmosphere can hardly be captured by these models.
3.
Scholz, Felix; Kolb, Thomas Elmar; Neidhardt, Julia
Classifying User Roles in Online News Forums: A Model for User Interaction and Behavior Analysis Proceedings Article
In: Adjunct Proceedings of the 32nd ACM Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization, pp. 240–249, Association for Computing Machinery, Cagliari, Italy, 2024, ISBN: 9798400704666.
@inproceedings{10.1145/3631700.3665187,
title = {Classifying User Roles in Online News Forums: A Model for User Interaction and Behavior Analysis},
author = {Felix Scholz and Thomas Elmar Kolb and Julia Neidhardt},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3631700.3665187},
doi = {10.1145/3631700.3665187},
isbn = {9798400704666},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
booktitle = {Adjunct Proceedings of the 32nd ACM Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization},
pages = {240–249},
publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
address = {Cagliari, Italy},
series = {UMAP Adjunct '24},
abstract = {The growing exchange of opinions in online news forums brings together a diverse cross-section of users with varying opinions and motivations. Understanding these behaviors is crucial for unraveling the composition of these large user bases. This study proposes an explainable model aimed at classifying users based on their activity and interaction patterns in online news forums. The model leverages exploratory and statistical data analysis to reveal recurring behaviors and provides a tool to analyze the evolution of large user communities, offering an overview of their composition. The model identifies six active roles: Taciturn, Silent Voter, Regular, Conversationalist, Power User, and Celebrity, and one inactive role, Lurker. The model was evaluated for its predictive power, achieving a macro F1 score of 0.8632, demonstrating its robustness. By applying the model to a long-term dataset from the online news forum derStandard.at, an analysis of role distribution over time was conducted. The results indicated a gradual increase in user activity within the forum. Moreover, the study assessed the co-occurrence of roles in users’ long-term behavior and measured the frequency of role changes. This analysis aimed to determine whether users have consistent roles or exhibit various roles, which may depend on time or context.},
keywords = {},
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The growing exchange of opinions in online news forums brings together a diverse cross-section of users with varying opinions and motivations. Understanding these behaviors is crucial for unraveling the composition of these large user bases. This study proposes an explainable model aimed at classifying users based on their activity and interaction patterns in online news forums. The model leverages exploratory and statistical data analysis to reveal recurring behaviors and provides a tool to analyze the evolution of large user communities, offering an overview of their composition. The model identifies six active roles: Taciturn, Silent Voter, Regular, Conversationalist, Power User, and Celebrity, and one inactive role, Lurker. The model was evaluated for its predictive power, achieving a macro F1 score of 0.8632, demonstrating its robustness. By applying the model to a long-term dataset from the online news forum derStandard.at, an analysis of role distribution over time was conducted. The results indicated a gradual increase in user activity within the forum. Moreover, the study assessed the co-occurrence of roles in users’ long-term behavior and measured the frequency of role changes. This analysis aimed to determine whether users have consistent roles or exhibit various roles, which may depend on time or context.
4.
Nalis, Irina; Sippl, Tobias; Kolb, Thomas Elmar; Neidhardt, Julia
Navigating Serendipity – An Experimental User Study On The Interplay of Trust and Serendipity In Recommender Systems Proceedings Article
In: Adjunct Proceedings of the 32nd ACM Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization, pp. 386–393, Association for Computing Machinery, Cagliari, Italy, 2024, ISBN: 9798400704666.
@inproceedings{10.1145/3631700.3664901,
title = {Navigating Serendipity - An Experimental User Study On The Interplay of Trust and Serendipity In Recommender Systems},
author = {Irina Nalis and Tobias Sippl and Thomas Elmar Kolb and Julia Neidhardt},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3631700.3664901},
doi = {10.1145/3631700.3664901},
isbn = {9798400704666},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
booktitle = {Adjunct Proceedings of the 32nd ACM Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization},
pages = {386–393},
publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
address = {Cagliari, Italy},
series = {UMAP Adjunct '24},
abstract = {Recommender systems play a crucial role in our daily lives, constantly evolving to meet the diverse needs of users. As the pursuit of improved user experiences continues, metrics such as serendipity have emerged within the realm of beyond-accuracy paradigms. However, integrating serendipitous recommendations presents complex challenges, necessitating a delicate balance between novelty, relevance, and user engagement. In this interdisciplinary experimental user study, we address these challenges within the context of a book recommender system. By investigating the impact of interface design changes on user trust, a key determinant of satisfaction with serendipitous recommendations, we measured trust levels for both individual recommended items and the recommender system as a whole. Our findings indicate that while interface enhancements did not yield significant increases in trust, they did notably elevate serendipity ratings for previously unknown books. These results highlight the intricate interplay between technical and psychological factors in the design of recommender systems, emphasizing the importance of human-centered approaches in the creation of more responsible AI applications. This research contributes to ongoing discussions surrounding user-centric recommendation systems and aligns with broader themes of digital humanism and responsible AI.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
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Recommender systems play a crucial role in our daily lives, constantly evolving to meet the diverse needs of users. As the pursuit of improved user experiences continues, metrics such as serendipity have emerged within the realm of beyond-accuracy paradigms. However, integrating serendipitous recommendations presents complex challenges, necessitating a delicate balance between novelty, relevance, and user engagement. In this interdisciplinary experimental user study, we address these challenges within the context of a book recommender system. By investigating the impact of interface design changes on user trust, a key determinant of satisfaction with serendipitous recommendations, we measured trust levels for both individual recommended items and the recommender system as a whole. Our findings indicate that while interface enhancements did not yield significant increases in trust, they did notably elevate serendipity ratings for previously unknown books. These results highlight the intricate interplay between technical and psychological factors in the design of recommender systems, emphasizing the importance of human-centered approaches in the creation of more responsible AI applications. This research contributes to ongoing discussions surrounding user-centric recommendation systems and aligns with broader themes of digital humanism and responsible AI.
5.
Huebner, Blake; Kolb, Thomas Elmar; Neidhardt, Julia
Evaluating Group Fairness in News Recommendations: A Comparative Study of Algorithms and Metrics Proceedings Article
In: Adjunct Proceedings of the 32nd ACM Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization, pp. 337–346, Association for Computing Machinery, Cagliari, Italy, 2024, ISBN: 9798400704666.
@inproceedings{10.1145/3631700.3664897,
title = {Evaluating Group Fairness in News Recommendations: A Comparative Study of Algorithms and Metrics},
author = {Blake Huebner and Thomas Elmar Kolb and Julia Neidhardt},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3631700.3664897},
doi = {10.1145/3631700.3664897},
isbn = {9798400704666},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
booktitle = {Adjunct Proceedings of the 32nd ACM Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization},
pages = {337–346},
publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
address = {Cagliari, Italy},
series = {UMAP Adjunct '24},
abstract = {Beyond accuracy metrics, such as fairness and diversity, have become widely studied topics in recommender systems. Improving these metrics is important not only from an ethical and legal perspective, but can also improve overall user satisfaction. Although these metrics are widely discussed, very little empirical research has been done, especially comparing multiple algorithms across different metrics. This work explores the role of fairness and diversity in news recommender systems, specifically in the context of the Austrian media landscape. This study aims to identify the most effective approaches for generating fair and diverse news recommendations, while addressing the potential negative consequences of biased recommendations and filter bubbles, such as societal polarization and the suppression of information. This includes an extensive literature review of relevant group unfairness metrics and state-of-the-art fairness-aware algorithms. A dataset of articles from an Austrian newspaper was used for empirical research, with analysis performed on fairness, and diversity of recommendations. The key message of the study is that accuracy and fairness can be achieved simultaneously with the right modeling approach, while diversity can be held constant using these modeling techniques. The study recommends the use of Personalized Fairness based on Causal Notion models for accuracy and reducing certain unfairness metrics, and finds Fairness Objectives for Collaborative Filtering models more effective at reducing other types of unfairness. The findings contribute to the field by demonstrating the importance of incorporating these metrics into the design and evaluation of recommender systems.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Beyond accuracy metrics, such as fairness and diversity, have become widely studied topics in recommender systems. Improving these metrics is important not only from an ethical and legal perspective, but can also improve overall user satisfaction. Although these metrics are widely discussed, very little empirical research has been done, especially comparing multiple algorithms across different metrics. This work explores the role of fairness and diversity in news recommender systems, specifically in the context of the Austrian media landscape. This study aims to identify the most effective approaches for generating fair and diverse news recommendations, while addressing the potential negative consequences of biased recommendations and filter bubbles, such as societal polarization and the suppression of information. This includes an extensive literature review of relevant group unfairness metrics and state-of-the-art fairness-aware algorithms. A dataset of articles from an Austrian newspaper was used for empirical research, with analysis performed on fairness, and diversity of recommendations. The key message of the study is that accuracy and fairness can be achieved simultaneously with the right modeling approach, while diversity can be held constant using these modeling techniques. The study recommends the use of Personalized Fairness based on Causal Notion models for accuracy and reducing certain unfairness metrics, and finds Fairness Objectives for Collaborative Filtering models more effective at reducing other types of unfairness. The findings contribute to the field by demonstrating the importance of incorporating these metrics into the design and evaluation of recommender systems.
6.
Kolb, Thomas Elmar
Enhancing Cross-Domain Recommender Systems with LLMs: Evaluating Bias and Beyond-Accuracy Measures Proceedings Article
In: Proceedings of the 18th ACM Conference on Recommender Systems, pp. 1388–1394, Association for Computing Machinery, Bari, Italy, 2024, ISBN: 9798400705052.
@inproceedings{10.1145/3640457.3688027,
title = {Enhancing Cross-Domain Recommender Systems with LLMs: Evaluating Bias and Beyond-Accuracy Measures},
author = {Thomas Elmar Kolb},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1145/3640457.3688027},
doi = {10.1145/3640457.3688027},
isbn = {9798400705052},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 18th ACM Conference on Recommender Systems},
pages = {1388–1394},
publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
address = {Bari, Italy},
series = {RecSys '24},
abstract = {The research domain of recommender systems is rapidly evolving. Initially, optimization efforts focused primarily on accuracy. However, recent research has highlighted the importance of addressing bias and beyond-accuracy measures such as novelty, diversity, and serendipity. With the rise of multi-domain recommender systems, the need to re-examine bias and beyond-accuracy measures in cross-domain settings has become crucial. Traditional methods face challenges such as cold-start problems, which can potentially be mitigated by leveraging LLMs. This proposed work investigates how LLM-based recommendation methods can enhance cross-domain recommender systems, focusing on identifying, measuring, and mitigating bias while evaluating the impact of beyond-accuracy measures. We aim to provide new insights by comparing traditional and LLM-based systems within a real-world environment encompassing the domains of news, books, and various lifestyle areas. Our research seeks to address the outlined gaps and develop effective evaluation strategies for the unique challenges posed by LLMs in cross-domain recommender systems.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
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The research domain of recommender systems is rapidly evolving. Initially, optimization efforts focused primarily on accuracy. However, recent research has highlighted the importance of addressing bias and beyond-accuracy measures such as novelty, diversity, and serendipity. With the rise of multi-domain recommender systems, the need to re-examine bias and beyond-accuracy measures in cross-domain settings has become crucial. Traditional methods face challenges such as cold-start problems, which can potentially be mitigated by leveraging LLMs. This proposed work investigates how LLM-based recommendation methods can enhance cross-domain recommender systems, focusing on identifying, measuring, and mitigating bias while evaluating the impact of beyond-accuracy measures. We aim to provide new insights by comparing traditional and LLM-based systems within a real-world environment encompassing the domains of news, books, and various lifestyle areas. Our research seeks to address the outlined gaps and develop effective evaluation strategies for the unique challenges posed by LLMs in cross-domain recommender systems.
7.
Kolb, Thomas Elmar; Nalis-Neuner, Irina; Neidhardt, Julia
Like a Skilled DJ – an Expert Study on News Recommendations Beyond Accuracy Proceedings Article
In: Kille, Benjamin (Ed.): CEUR-WS.org, 2023.
@inproceedings{ 20.500.12708_191170,
title = {Like a Skilled DJ - an Expert Study on News Recommendations Beyond Accuracy},
author = {Thomas Elmar Kolb and Irina Nalis-Neuner and Julia Neidhardt},
editor = {Benjamin Kille},
doi = {10.34726/5332},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
volume = {3561},
publisher = {CEUR-WS.org},
series = {CEUR Workshop Proceedings},
abstract = {In the past, recommender systems were primarily focused on optimizing accuracy. However, in recent years, there has been an increasing awareness that considerations beyond accuracy are necessary. The definition of what constitutes a good recommendation is a crucial issue. The most precise prediction may not always be the recommendation that satisfies the user best. This study offers a comprehensive investigation into the present advancements within the realm of beyond-accuracy measurements, especially the metrics diversity, serendipity, and novelty. Collaborative efforts between algorithmic models and domain experts can enrich recommendation quality, particularly in labeling and categorizing content. To address this, we present a study conducted by experts in the news domain. This study provides new insights into the multifaceted nature of this challenge. Employing an interdisciplinary approach, we underscore the significance of constructing a system that revolves around the user. Recent discussions about algorithmic content filtering and its societal implications underscore the importance of maintaining human involvement in the decision-making loop.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
In the past, recommender systems were primarily focused on optimizing accuracy. However, in recent years, there has been an increasing awareness that considerations beyond accuracy are necessary. The definition of what constitutes a good recommendation is a crucial issue. The most precise prediction may not always be the recommendation that satisfies the user best. This study offers a comprehensive investigation into the present advancements within the realm of beyond-accuracy measurements, especially the metrics diversity, serendipity, and novelty. Collaborative efforts between algorithmic models and domain experts can enrich recommendation quality, particularly in labeling and categorizing content. To address this, we present a study conducted by experts in the news domain. This study provides new insights into the multifaceted nature of this challenge. Employing an interdisciplinary approach, we underscore the significance of constructing a system that revolves around the user. Recent discussions about algorithmic content filtering and its societal implications underscore the importance of maintaining human involvement in the decision-making loop.
8.
Kolb, Thomas Elmar; Wagne, Ahmadou; Sertkan, Mete; Neidhardt, Julia
Potentials of Combining Local Knowledge and LLMs for Recommender Systems Proceedings Article
In: Anelli, Vito Walter; Basile, Pierpaolo; Melo, Gerard De; Donini, Francesco; Ferrara, Antonio; Musto, Cataldo; Narducci, Fedelucio; Ragone, Azzurra; Zanker, Markus (Ed.): pp. 61–64, CEUR-WS.org, 2023.
@inproceedings{ 20.500.12708_191183,
title = {Potentials of Combining Local Knowledge and LLMs for Recommender Systems},
author = {Thomas Elmar Kolb and Ahmadou Wagne and Mete Sertkan and Julia Neidhardt},
editor = {Vito Walter Anelli and Pierpaolo Basile and Gerard De Melo and Francesco Donini and Antonio Ferrara and Cataldo Musto and Fedelucio Narducci and Azzurra Ragone and Markus Zanker},
doi = {10.34726/5334},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
volume = {3560},
pages = {61–64},
publisher = {CEUR-WS.org},
series = {CEUR Workshop Proceedings},
abstract = {LLMs have revolutionized the understanding and generation of natural language, offering new possibilities for enhancing recommendation systems. In previous studies, LLMs exploit their global knowledge to provide zero- or few-shot recommendations. In this work, we aim to highlight the opportunities that LLMs pose to enrich the field of recommender systems combined with local knowledge. We propose to view recommender systems combined with LLMs from a broader perspective, recognizing them not merely as another method to replace existing recommendation approaches, but rather as a complementary and powerful approach to enhance and augment the overall recommendation process.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
LLMs have revolutionized the understanding and generation of natural language, offering new possibilities for enhancing recommendation systems. In previous studies, LLMs exploit their global knowledge to provide zero- or few-shot recommendations. In this work, we aim to highlight the opportunities that LLMs pose to enrich the field of recommender systems combined with local knowledge. We propose to view recommender systems combined with LLMs from a broader perspective, recognizing them not merely as another method to replace existing recommendation approaches, but rather as a complementary and powerful approach to enhance and augment the overall recommendation process.
9.
10.
Sertkan, Mete; Althammer, Sophia; Hofstätter, Sebastian; Knees, Peter; Neidhardt, Julia
Exploring Effect-Size-Based Meta-Analysis for Multi-Dataset Evaluation Proceedings Article
In: CEUR-WS.org, 2023.
@inproceedings{ 20.500.12708_191697,
title = {Exploring Effect-Size-Based Meta-Analysis for Multi-Dataset Evaluation},
author = {Mete Sertkan and Sophia Althammer and Sebastian Hofstätter and Peter Knees and Julia Neidhardt},
doi = {10.34726/5352},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
volume = {3476},
publisher = {CEUR-WS.org},
series = {CEUR Workshop Proceedings},
abstract = {In this paper, we address the essential yet complex task of evaluating Recommender Systems (RecSys) across multiple datasets. This is critical for gauging their overall performance and applicability in various contexts. Owing to the unique characteristics of each dataset and the variability in algorithm performance, we propose the adoption of effect-size-based meta-analysis, a proven tool in comparative research. This approach enables us to compare a “treatment model” and a “control model” across multiple datasets, offering a comprehensive evaluation of their performance. Through two case studies, we highlight the flexibility and effectiveness of this method in multi-dataset evaluations, irrespective of the metric utilized. The power of forest plots in providing an intuitive and concise summarization of our analysis is also demonstrated, which significantly aids in the communication of research findings. Our work provides valuable insights into leveraging these methodologies to draw more reliable and validated conclusions on the generalizability and robustness of RecSys models.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
In this paper, we address the essential yet complex task of evaluating Recommender Systems (RecSys) across multiple datasets. This is critical for gauging their overall performance and applicability in various contexts. Owing to the unique characteristics of each dataset and the variability in algorithm performance, we propose the adoption of effect-size-based meta-analysis, a proven tool in comparative research. This approach enables us to compare a “treatment model” and a “control model” across multiple datasets, offering a comprehensive evaluation of their performance. Through two case studies, we highlight the flexibility and effectiveness of this method in multi-dataset evaluations, irrespective of the metric utilized. The power of forest plots in providing an intuitive and concise summarization of our analysis is also demonstrated, which significantly aids in the communication of research findings. Our work provides valuable insights into leveraging these methodologies to draw more reliable and validated conclusions on the generalizability and robustness of RecSys models.
11.
Basso, Linda; Nalis-Neuner, Irina; Neidhardt, Julia
News Diversity and Well-Being – An Experimental Exploration Of Diversity-Aware Recommender Systems Proceedings Article
In: 2023.
@inproceedings{ 20.500.12708_193212,
title = {News Diversity and Well-Being – An Experimental Exploration Of Diversity-Aware Recommender Systems},
author = {Linda Basso and Irina Nalis-Neuner and Julia Neidhardt},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
abstract = {The demand for socially responsible designs for news recommender systems is currently of the utmost relevance. This paper presents a novel and interdisciplinary approach, bringing together psychol- ogists and computer scientists, to examine the impact of diverse news recommendations on individual users. In this experimental study, participants were divided into two groups, interacting with either a diverse news recommender system (experimental group) or a non-diversified system (control group). Subjective well-being and personal evaluations of the recommender system were measured. Although the study did not find a significant positive impact on participants’ subjective well-being after consuming more diverse news, this preliminary investigation opens avenues for further re- search. This study sets the stage for future investigations, providing valuable insights and highlighting the complexities of promoting diverse news consumption through recommender systems. Further research is warranted to explore potential enhancements and refine the understanding of the relationship between diversified news recommendations and user well-being. This contribution lays a groundstone for further research on responsibilities and how to implement basic human values, which are important to sustain and advance the democratic society we live in.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
The demand for socially responsible designs for news recommender systems is currently of the utmost relevance. This paper presents a novel and interdisciplinary approach, bringing together psychol- ogists and computer scientists, to examine the impact of diverse news recommendations on individual users. In this experimental study, participants were divided into two groups, interacting with either a diverse news recommender system (experimental group) or a non-diversified system (control group). Subjective well-being and personal evaluations of the recommender system were measured. Although the study did not find a significant positive impact on participants’ subjective well-being after consuming more diverse news, this preliminary investigation opens avenues for further re- search. This study sets the stage for future investigations, providing valuable insights and highlighting the complexities of promoting diverse news consumption through recommender systems. Further research is warranted to explore potential enhancements and refine the understanding of the relationship between diversified news recommendations and user well-being. This contribution lays a groundstone for further research on responsibilities and how to implement basic human values, which are important to sustain and advance the democratic society we live in.
12.
Neidhardt, Julia; Wörndl, Wolfgang; Kuflik, Tsvi; Goldenberg, Dmitri; Zanker, Markus
Workshop on Recommenders in Tourism (RecTour) 2023 Proceedings Article
In: Zhang, Jie; Chen, Li; Berkovsky, Shlomo (Ed.): pp. 1274–1275, Association for Computing Machinery, New York, 2023.
@inproceedings{ 20.500.12708_191202,
title = {Workshop on Recommenders in Tourism (RecTour) 2023},
author = {Julia Neidhardt and Wolfgang Wörndl and Tsvi Kuflik and Dmitri Goldenberg and Markus Zanker},
editor = {Jie Zhang and Li Chen and Shlomo Berkovsky},
doi = {10.1145/3604915.3608764},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
pages = {1274–1275},
publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
address = {New York},
abstract = {The Workshop on Recommenders in Tourism (RecTour) 2023, which is held in conjunction with the 17th issue of the ACM Conference on Recommender Systems (RecSys) in Singapore, addresses specific challenges for recommender systems in the tourism domain. In this overview paper, we summarize our motivations to organize the RecTour workshop and present the main topic areas of RecTour submissions. These include context-aware recommendations, group recommender systems, recommending composite items, decision making and user interaction issues, different information sources and various application scenarios.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
The Workshop on Recommenders in Tourism (RecTour) 2023, which is held in conjunction with the 17th issue of the ACM Conference on Recommender Systems (RecSys) in Singapore, addresses specific challenges for recommender systems in the tourism domain. In this overview paper, we summarize our motivations to organize the RecTour workshop and present the main topic areas of RecTour submissions. These include context-aware recommendations, group recommender systems, recommending composite items, decision making and user interaction issues, different information sources and various application scenarios.
13.
Nalis, Irina; Neidhardt, Julia
Not Facial Expression, nor Fingerprint – Acknowledging Complexity and Context in Emotion Research for Human-Centered Personalization and Adaptation Proceedings Article
In: Adjunct Proceedings of the 31st ACM Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization, pp. 325–330, Association for Computing Machinery, New York, 2023.
@inproceedings{ 20.500.12708_192197,
title = {Not Facial Expression, nor Fingerprint – Acknowledging Complexity and Context in Emotion Research for Human-Centered Personalization and Adaptation},
author = {Irina Nalis and Julia Neidhardt},
doi = {10.1145/3563359.3596990},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
booktitle = {Adjunct Proceedings of the 31st ACM Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization},
pages = {325–330},
publisher = {Association for Computing Machinery},
address = {New York},
abstract = {While research on emotion has emerged as a crucial area in studying this relationship, the use of classical psychological concepts in human emotion detection and sentiment analysis has been challenged by the cognitive sciences and psychology. This paper argues that the uncritical adoption of concepts that overlook the complexity and context of emotions may hinder progress in this field. To overcome this limitation, the theory of constructed emotion is reviewed, which suggests that emotions are not distinct categories but rather dimensions that require dynamic, rather than static, contextualized models. By prioritizing digital wellbeing in emotion studies and acknowledging complexity and context, future research can develop more effective models for emotion detection and sentiment analysis. The aim is to provide valuable insights for researchers seeking to advance our understanding of the relationship between technology and wellbeing for human centered-adaptation and personalization.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
While research on emotion has emerged as a crucial area in studying this relationship, the use of classical psychological concepts in human emotion detection and sentiment analysis has been challenged by the cognitive sciences and psychology. This paper argues that the uncritical adoption of concepts that overlook the complexity and context of emotions may hinder progress in this field. To overcome this limitation, the theory of constructed emotion is reviewed, which suggests that emotions are not distinct categories but rather dimensions that require dynamic, rather than static, contextualized models. By prioritizing digital wellbeing in emotion studies and acknowledging complexity and context, future research can develop more effective models for emotion detection and sentiment analysis. The aim is to provide valuable insights for researchers seeking to advance our understanding of the relationship between technology and wellbeing for human centered-adaptation and personalization.
14.
Knees, Peter; Neidhardt, Julia; Nalis-Neuner, Irina
Recommender Systems: Techniques, Effects, and Measures Toward Pluralism and Fairness Book Section
In: Werthner, Hannes; Ghezzi, Carlo; Kramer, Jeff (Ed.): pp. 417–434, Springer, Cham, 2023.
@incollection{ 20.500.12708_191188,
title = {Recommender Systems: Techniques, Effects, and Measures Toward Pluralism and Fairness},
author = {Peter Knees and Julia Neidhardt and Irina Nalis-Neuner},
editor = {Hannes Werthner and Carlo Ghezzi and Jeff Kramer},
doi = {10.1007/978-3-031-45304-5_27},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
pages = {417–434},
publisher = {Springer},
address = {Cham},
abstract = {Recommender systems are widely used in various applications, such as online shopping, social media, and news personalization. They can help systems by delivering only the most relevant and promising information to their users and help people by mitigating information overload. At the same time, algorithmic recommender systems are a new form of gatekeeper that preselects and controls the information being presented and actively shapes users’ choices and behavior. This becomes a crucial aspect, as, if unaddressed and not safeguarded, these systems are susceptible to perpetuate and even amplify existing biases, including unwanted societal biases, leading to unfair and discriminatory outcomes. In this chapter, we briefly introduce recommender systems, their basic mechanisms, and their importance in various applications. We show how their outcomes and performance are assessed and discuss approaches to addressing pluralism and fairness in recommender systems. Finally, we highlight recently emerging directions within recommender systems research, pointing out opportunities for digital humanism to contribute interdisciplinary expertise.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
Recommender systems are widely used in various applications, such as online shopping, social media, and news personalization. They can help systems by delivering only the most relevant and promising information to their users and help people by mitigating information overload. At the same time, algorithmic recommender systems are a new form of gatekeeper that preselects and controls the information being presented and actively shapes users’ choices and behavior. This becomes a crucial aspect, as, if unaddressed and not safeguarded, these systems are susceptible to perpetuate and even amplify existing biases, including unwanted societal biases, leading to unfair and discriminatory outcomes. In this chapter, we briefly introduce recommender systems, their basic mechanisms, and their importance in various applications. We show how their outcomes and performance are assessed and discuss approaches to addressing pluralism and fairness in recommender systems. Finally, we highlight recently emerging directions within recommender systems research, pointing out opportunities for digital humanism to contribute interdisciplinary expertise.
15.
Grossmann, Wilfried; Sertkan, Mete; Neidhardt, Julia; Werthner, Hannes
Pictures as a tool for matching tourist preferences with destinations Book Section
In: Augstein, Mirjam; Herder, Eelco; Wörndl, Wolfgang (Ed.): pp. 337–354, De Gruyter Oldenbourg, Berlin ; Boston, 2023.
@incollection{ 20.500.12708_191182,
title = {Pictures as a tool for matching tourist preferences with destinations},
author = {Wilfried Grossmann and Mete Sertkan and Julia Neidhardt and Hannes Werthner},
editor = {Mirjam Augstein and Eelco Herder and Wolfgang Wörndl},
doi = {10.1515/9783110988567-013},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
pages = {337–354},
publisher = {De Gruyter Oldenbourg},
address = {Berlin ; Boston},
series = {De Gruyter Textbook},
abstract = {Usually descriptions of touristic products comprise information about accommodation, tourist attractions or leisure activities. Tourist decisions for a product are based on personal characteristics, planned vacation activities and specificities of potential touristic products. The decision should guarantee a high level of emotional and physical well-being, considering also some hard constraints like temporal and monetary resources, or travel distance. The starting point for the design of the described recommender system is a unified description of the preferences of the tourist and the opportunities offered by touristic products using the so-called seven-factor model. For the assignment of the values in the seven-factor model a predefined set of pictures is the pivotal instrument. These pictures represent various aspects of the personality and preferences of the tourist as well as general categories for the description of destinations, i. e., certain tourist attractions like landscape, cultural facilities, different leisure activities or emotional aspects associated with tourism. Based on the picture selection of a customer a so-called factor algorithm calculates values for each factor of the seven-factor model. This is a rather fast and intuitive method for acquisition of information about personality and preferences. The evaluation of the factors of the products is obtained by mapping descriptive attributes of touristic products onto the predefined pictures and afterwards applying the factor algorithm to the pictures characterizing the product. Based on this unified description of tourists and touristic products a recommendation can be defined by measuring the similarity between the user attributes and the product attributes. The approach is evaluated using data from a travel agency. Furthermore, other possible applications are discussed.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {incollection}
}
Usually descriptions of touristic products comprise information about accommodation, tourist attractions or leisure activities. Tourist decisions for a product are based on personal characteristics, planned vacation activities and specificities of potential touristic products. The decision should guarantee a high level of emotional and physical well-being, considering also some hard constraints like temporal and monetary resources, or travel distance. The starting point for the design of the described recommender system is a unified description of the preferences of the tourist and the opportunities offered by touristic products using the so-called seven-factor model. For the assignment of the values in the seven-factor model a predefined set of pictures is the pivotal instrument. These pictures represent various aspects of the personality and preferences of the tourist as well as general categories for the description of destinations, i. e., certain tourist attractions like landscape, cultural facilities, different leisure activities or emotional aspects associated with tourism. Based on the picture selection of a customer a so-called factor algorithm calculates values for each factor of the seven-factor model. This is a rather fast and intuitive method for acquisition of information about personality and preferences. The evaluation of the factors of the products is obtained by mapping descriptive attributes of touristic products onto the predefined pictures and afterwards applying the factor algorithm to the pictures characterizing the product. Based on this unified description of tourists and touristic products a recommendation can be defined by measuring the similarity between the user attributes and the product attributes. The approach is evaluated using data from a travel agency. Furthermore, other possible applications are discussed.
16.
Baumann, Andreas; Hofmann, Klaus; Marakasova, Anna; Neidhardt, Julia; Wissik, Tanja
Semantic micro-dynamics as a reflex of occurrence frequency: a semantic networks approach Journal Article
In: Cognitive Linguistics, vol. 34, iss. 3-4, pp. 533–568, 2023, ISSN: 0936-5907.
@article{ 20.500.12708_191531,
title = {Semantic micro-dynamics as a reflex of occurrence frequency: a semantic networks approach},
author = {Andreas Baumann and Klaus Hofmann and Anna Marakasova and Julia Neidhardt and Tanja Wissik},
url = {https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85175416448},
doi = {10.1515/cog-2022-0008},
issn = {0936-5907},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
journal = {Cognitive Linguistics},
volume = {34},
issue = {3-4},
pages = {533–568},
publisher = {De Gruyter},
abstract = {This article correlates fine-grained semantic variability and change with measures of occurrence frequency to investigate whether a word's degree of semantic change is sensitive to how often it is used. We show that this sensitivity can be detected within a short time span (i.e., 20 years), basing our analysis on a large corpus of German allowing for a high temporal resolution (i.e., per month). We measure semantic variability and change with the help of local semantic networks, combining elements of deep learning methodology and graph theory. Our micro-scale analysis complements previous macro-scale studies from the field of natural language processing, corroborating the finding that high token frequency has a negative effect on the degree of semantic change in a lexical item. We relate this relationship to the role of exemplars for establishing form-function pairings between words and their habitual usage contexts.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
This article correlates fine-grained semantic variability and change with measures of occurrence frequency to investigate whether a word’s degree of semantic change is sensitive to how often it is used. We show that this sensitivity can be detected within a short time span (i.e., 20 years), basing our analysis on a large corpus of German allowing for a high temporal resolution (i.e., per month). We measure semantic variability and change with the help of local semantic networks, combining elements of deep learning methodology and graph theory. Our micro-scale analysis complements previous macro-scale studies from the field of natural language processing, corroborating the finding that high token frequency has a negative effect on the degree of semantic change in a lexical item. We relate this relationship to the role of exemplars for establishing form-function pairings between words and their habitual usage contexts.
17.
Pachinger, Pia; Hanbury, Allan; Neidhardt, Julia; Planitzer, Anna Maria
Toward Disambiguating the Definitions of Abusive, Offensive, Toxic, and Uncivil Comments Proceedings Article
In: pp. 107–113, 2023.
@inproceedings{ 20.500.12708_191532,
title = {Toward Disambiguating the Definitions of Abusive, Offensive, Toxic, and Uncivil Comments},
author = {Pia Pachinger and Allan Hanbury and Julia Neidhardt and Anna Maria Planitzer},
doi = {10.18653/v1/2023.c3nlp-1.11},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
pages = {107–113},
abstract = {The definitions of abusive, offensive, toxic and uncivil comments used for annotating corpora for automated content moderation are highly intersected and researchers call for their disambiguation. We summarize the definitions of these terms as they appear in 23 papers across different fields. We compare examples given for uncivil, offensive, and toxic comments, attempting to foster more unified scientific resources. Additionally, we stress that the term incivility that frequently appears in social science literature has hardly been mentioned in the literature we analyzed that focuses on computational linguistics and natural language processing.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
The definitions of abusive, offensive, toxic and uncivil comments used for annotating corpora for automated content moderation are highly intersected and researchers call for their disambiguation. We summarize the definitions of these terms as they appear in 23 papers across different fields. We compare examples given for uncivil, offensive, and toxic comments, attempting to foster more unified scientific resources. Additionally, we stress that the term incivility that frequently appears in social science literature has hardly been mentioned in the literature we analyzed that focuses on computational linguistics and natural language processing.
18.
Wagne, Ahmadou
COVID-19 and populism in Austrian news user comments – A machine learning approach Masters Thesis
Technische Universität Wien, Wien, 2023.
@mastersthesis{ 20.500.12708_176675,
title = {COVID-19 and populism in Austrian news user comments - A machine learning approach},
author = {Ahmadou Wagne},
doi = {10.34726/hss.2023.105940},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
address = {Wien},
school = {Technische Universität Wien},
abstract = {The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting government measures have triggered a wave of protests and demonstrations in Austria. We saw some protestors resorting to populist rhetoric to express their dissatisfaction, which in some cases, led to anti-democratic tendencies. Populist talking points have not been confined to the public sphere but rather emerged from social media and other online platforms, including news comments. Thus, there is a need to develop automated methods to detect populist statements in those texts. While previous research on populism has focused on politicians, recent studies have emphasized the role of citizens as populist actors. However, most of the current methods to detect populism in text rely on manual coding or dictionary-based approaches. Only a few scholars have attempted to employ machine learning for this task, resulting in a shortage of annotated data, particularly for the German language. To address this gap, this thesis adopts a minimalistic ideational definition of populism and performs various experiments using BERT-based transformer models to enhance the detection of populist user-generated content. Additionally, the thesis presents the first annotated dataset for populist news user comments in the German language by conducting an annotation study. The proposed model outperforms the state-of-the-art in this area and is applied in a case study analyzing the correlation between COVID-19 and populism in Austrian news user comments. A large-scale analysis of comments in the news forum of the Austrian daily newspaper Der Standard is conducted and the study reveals that the topic of COVID-19 in news articles attracted more populist comments than other topics during the pandemic. From these findings, implications can be drawn for future crisis management and communication.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {mastersthesis}
}
The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting government measures have triggered a wave of protests and demonstrations in Austria. We saw some protestors resorting to populist rhetoric to express their dissatisfaction, which in some cases, led to anti-democratic tendencies. Populist talking points have not been confined to the public sphere but rather emerged from social media and other online platforms, including news comments. Thus, there is a need to develop automated methods to detect populist statements in those texts. While previous research on populism has focused on politicians, recent studies have emphasized the role of citizens as populist actors. However, most of the current methods to detect populism in text rely on manual coding or dictionary-based approaches. Only a few scholars have attempted to employ machine learning for this task, resulting in a shortage of annotated data, particularly for the German language. To address this gap, this thesis adopts a minimalistic ideational definition of populism and performs various experiments using BERT-based transformer models to enhance the detection of populist user-generated content. Additionally, the thesis presents the first annotated dataset for populist news user comments in the German language by conducting an annotation study. The proposed model outperforms the state-of-the-art in this area and is applied in a case study analyzing the correlation between COVID-19 and populism in Austrian news user comments. A large-scale analysis of comments in the news forum of the Austrian daily newspaper Der Standard is conducted and the study reveals that the topic of COVID-19 in news articles attracted more populist comments than other topics during the pandemic. From these findings, implications can be drawn for future crisis management and communication.
19.
20.
Nalis-Neuner, Irina
Sentiment Analysis – psychological perspective Miscellaneous
2023.
@misc{ 20.500.12708_193816,
title = {Sentiment Analysis - psychological perspective},
author = {Irina Nalis-Neuner},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {misc}
}