The negative effects of misinformation filter bubbles in adaptive systems
have been known to researchers for some time. Several studies investigated,
most prominently on YouTube, how fast a user can get into a misinformation
filter bubble simply by selecting wrong choices from the items offered. Yet, no
studies so far have investigated what it takes to burst the bubble, i.e.,
revert the bubble enclosure. We present a study in which pre-programmed agents
(acting as YouTube users) delve into misinformation filter bubbles by watching
misinformation promoting content (for various topics). Then, by watching
misinformation debunking content, the agents try to burst the bubbles and reach
more balanced recommendation mixes. We recorded the search results and
recommendations, which the agents encountered, and analyzed them for the
presence of misinformation. Our key finding is that bursting of a filter bubble
is possible, albeit it manifests differently from topic to topic. Moreover, we
observe that filter bubbles do not truly appear in some situations. We also
draw a direct comparison with a previous study. Sadly, we did not find much
improvements in misinformation occurrences, despite recent pledges by YouTube.

该研究旨在研究信息过滤泡沫如何产生及如何消除，通过观察预先编程的代理在 YouTube 上观看不实信息宣传内容，然后通过观看辟谣信息以达到平衡推荐结果，结果表明推翻过滤泡沫在不同话题上表现不一，有时也不会表现出真正的过滤泡沫；然而，尽管 YouTube 作出了最近的承诺，但仍未发现太多消除不实信息的改进。