Date
2-29-2024
Department
School of Communication and the Arts
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Chair
Sara Allison Brake
Keywords
streaming services, algorithms, recommendation systems, cultivation, uses and gratifications, motivations
Disciplines
Communication
Recommended Citation
Smikova, Katarina, "A Quantitative Study of the Effects of Algorithmic Recommendations on Users of Streaming Services" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5241.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5241
Abstract
In the ever-evolving digital landscape, the proliferation of streaming services has dramatically augmented access to television as a medium for cultural narration, facilitated by rapid technological advances. The popularity of streaming platforms has prompted companies to leverage sophisticated recommendation systems and algorithms. These tools are used to tailor content offerings based on consumer behavior analytics. However, these algorithmic recommendation systems have potential detriments, particularly their capacity to perpetuate biases and inequalities and raise concerns over consumer privacy rights. The purpose of this study was to examine the nuances in the influence of algorithmic recommendations offered by various streaming services on user engagement. This research—grounded in cultivation and uses and gratifications theories—employed a cross-sectional survey, involving 883 participants from the United States who used streaming platforms in the past 6 months. The survey was administered through Amazon Mechanical Turk and Qualtrics and featured 5-point Likert-type questions. A broad spectrum of variables was examined, including demographic factors, levels of binge-watching, frequency of recommended content, preferred streaming platforms, perceptions of recommended content, ritualistic and instrumental motivation, and consequent viewing outcomes and satisfaction. This multifaceted approach offered a holistic view of the user experience in algorithm-driven streaming services.
