HearHere: Mitigating Echo Chambers in News Consumption through an AI-based Web System

This practice can lead to more rational decision-making that is not heavily influenced by specific opinions or positions [12, 22, 23]. As the Internet is a primary source of information for many people and the volume of online information is immense, effectively helping people consume and share information from diverse perspectives is necessary but challenging [57, 93]. Researchers have proposed various support methods for this, including the development and use of computer technology. In particular, artificial intelligence (AI)-based recommendation systems have been designed to support efficient information consumption by learning users' demographic characteristics or online activity patterns and providing tailored information based on their preferences [77]. Although computer technology plays an important role in enabling people to access and share online information, it should be noted that providing information solely based on individuals' preferences and tendencies can inadvertently contribute to the formation of echo chambers [77], a phenomenon where individuals are exposed primarily to the like-minded groups or information, leading to a reinforcement of shared narratives [28]. Research has shown that echo chambers can have many negative outcomes, including the creation and dissemination of biased information [77], increased susceptibility to fake news [8, 27], resistance towards accepting scientific evidence [63], and the adoption of unbalanced perspectives [36]. To prevent users from becoming polarized towards a specific political stance, many studies have proposed the use of computer-based tools designed to present information from diverse perspectives [31, 48, 53, 62].