On the Ethics of Using TWONs: TWON Policy Brief #1

Researchers of the TWON consortium have achieved another milestone regarding the communication of results and insights of our EU-funded research project. As we are breaking new ground at the intersection of diverse academic discplines, we are confronted with new ethical questions relating to our work. A Digital Twin of an Online Social Network (TWON) may be a powerful instrument for researching and regulating digital public spaces. Yet, the vast and detailed datasets on user behaviour also pose significant ethical risks. TWONs could be used to undermine user interests and democratic norms. Important questions arise with regard to the technological tools we are developing: Who should have access to these tools? How should these tools be regulated?

As scholars researching the relationship of social and political dynamics on one hand and digital technologies and communicative settings on the other hand, we do not want to shy away from these important normative questions: The answers to these questions may well determine the societal impact of our joint research project. Therefore, we aim to address these crucial normative and ethical questions heads on. Our first TWON Policy Brief, thus, focuses on these questions, emphasizing the importance of ethical considerations in our research and the dissemination of our findings. The policy brief sketches out possible approaches to TWONs, different governance and regulation frameworks as well as their risks and benefits.

The full report can be found here.

 

Consortium Meeting in Dubrovnik

The first half of our 3-year project has passed. So, it was time to come together as a consortium, share our progress and discuss the next steps.

Hosted by Marko Grobelnik and his team, we met at Jozef Stefan Institute’s partner organization, the Center for Advanced Academic Studies, in beautiful Dubrovnik. After an opening keynote by Prof. Marko Tadić who is a linguist at the University of Zagreb, we updated each other on the status of the TWON and decided to build a demonstrator – the Twonny! The Twonny will help us to communicate the results and insights of our complex research project ot a wider public. Apart from that we discussed the design of our case studies with Robert Koch Institute (RKI) and Slovenska tiskovna agencija (STA) and planned our work in the coming months.

The last day was kicked off with a workshop by the FZI Forschungszentrum Informatik on stakeholders and policy recommendations. The advisory board member Judith Peterka delivered an input and the team worked on policy recommendations, that participants of DialoguePerspectives’ TWON Citizen Lab had drafted. The day ended with a hackathon to find and fix bugs together.

Of course we also enjoyed the sea, went for a swim and had excellent Croatian seafood – and took the opportunity to grow together as a team and recharge our batteries for the work ahead.

How to build digital Spaces: Modeling, data analysis, and qualitative approaches.

MODIS 2024 Workshop Recap

The MODIS 2024 workshop, recently held as part of the Horizon Europe projects TWON and SoMe4Dem, successfully gathered experts from various fields to explore the role of online social networks (OSN) in shaping public opinion and democracy. Attendees discussed the latest research on misinformation, AI’s influence on digital platforms, and strategies to counter harmful narratives. The event highlighted key advancements in modeling user behavior and fostering resilience to propaganda, paving the way for future innovation in this critical area. OSNs were once believed to have an enormous potential to foster democratic debates and processes. In recent years, however, OSNs have been associated with various challenges for democracies and public discourse. These debates are often structured around key words such as echo chambers and filter bubbles and have garnered immense public attention. Research from computational social sciences, on the other hand, has painted a more nunanced picture. The symposium brought together insights from a broad range of research approaches, reflecting on methodologies and discussing future pathways and research agendas.

TWON’s Michael Mäs opened the workshop with his introduction. Later in the workshop he provided insights into his work as part of the TWON consortium, highlighting the scientific, technical, and ethical challenges that are linked to building a Twin of an Online Social Network (TWON).

For more details, visit the MODIS 2024 page.

Attendees of the MODIS 2024 symposium.

The first TWON Citizen Lab took place in Karlsruhe!

As part of the Days for Democracy Karlsruhe the participants of DialoguePerspectives’ European Leadership Workshop discussed on how online social networks influence democracy in the digital age.

Achim Rettinger (Trier University), Neta-Paulina Wagner (DialoguePerspectives) & Damian Trilling (Amsterdam University) (from left to right)

In workshops by TWON’s Prof. Damian Trilling, Prof. Achim Rettinger and Dr. Eugen Pissarskoi the participants learned about research approaches to social media dynamics, the ethics behind creating Twins of Online Social Networks (TWON) and the role of online social networks and AI in digital democracy. Melanie Döring and Marisa Wengeler from Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) held thought-provoking inputs on the EU’s Digital Services Act and media literacy as well as the concept of pre- and de-bunking in the online realm. Nuriyatul Lailiyah gave interesting insights on the usage of social media in Southeast Asia. The participants of the European Leadership Workshop not only discussed on the topics within the group, but also with citizens during public outdoor events in the Triangel Event Space Karlsruhe during a Bar Camp and a World Café format.

Discussions in small groups among participants of the European Leadership Workshop

At the end of the 4-day workshop (16.-19. September 2024) the participants worked on a policy brief on necessary regulatory action. This will be used as a basis for further discussion for the scientists of the TWON consortium.

Presentation of ideas for regulatory measures

The European Leadership Workshop moderated by DialoguePerspectives’ programme manager Neta-Paulina Wagner is an integral part of the TWON project:

– It works on the translation from research in to actionable solutions.

– It equips participants with the skills and insights needed to navigate and address the challenges posed by digital democracy.

– Participants actively contribute to the broader conversation on digital citizenship and how we can shape a more resilient, informed, and participatory society in the face of rapidly evolving digital challenges.

A big thank you to our partner DialoguePerspectives for organizing the workshop and thank you to all participants for the great discussions!

Panel Discussion Recap: The Intersection of Generative AI and Online Social Networks

In a panel discussion hosted by AlgorithmWatch in Berlin, the FZI’s Jonas Fegert emphasized the inseparable link between Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Online Social Networks (OSNs). He argued that to fully understand platform mechanisms, we need to develop Digital Twins of Online Social Networks (TWONs), which will provide greater insight into how these platforms function and influence user interactions. With our joint research project, we are taking important stapes in this direction.

The discussion explored the growing role of Generative AI in shaping online communication and the importance of transparent oversight to address the ethical and societal implications of these technologies. In the light of multiple state elections in Germany, the immediate political effects of OSNs and AI were another focal point of the discussion.

A Call to Action: New Paper on Youth Online Mental Health

The World Health Organization (WHO) has put forward guiding principles on online mental health for young people. In a newly published study, TWON-researchers integrate the WHO framework into a European context. They emphasize the impact of digital platforms and online social networks (OSNs) on mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified both the usage of digital technologies and a mental health crisis that is affecting young people in particular. Traditional services are increasingly losing touch with the young target group. Substantial challenges arise from the need to provide accessible and flexible mental health support while ensuring adherence to evidence-based guidelines.

The authors stress the special character of the European context: Typically, most young Europeans are growing up as digital natives, given the broad accessibility of advanced technology. Yet, there are important regional differences concerning the approach to mental health and the influence of social stigma related to the concept. Taking into account socioeconomic discrepancies and varying degrees of media literacy across Europe, this stresses the need for culturally sensitive mental health support. So far, online mental health services are often provided by independent organizations. But like other health-related services and products, the sector is in need of a sound regulatory framework to ensure both the quality and accessibility of services.

This highlights the need to gain a better understanding of platform mechanisms and the effects of algorithmic hyper-personalization and, therefore, the importance of our joint project TWON. Based on their research, the authors developed five core recommendations:

1. The specific European context must be considered.

2. Quality and accessibility of services must be balanced carefully.

3. Involving young people and families, leveraging their knowledge while enhancing digital literacy, is key.

4. The rise of AI must be addressed, concerning both the potential of AI for developing mental health support and the risks of biases and misinformation.

5. A regulatory framework must be developed to ensure safety, effectiveness, and ethical standards.

If you want to learn more about the issue, you can access the full article here!

New Publication on the Theoretical Foundations of Building a TWON

In a study recently published in the European Journal of Futures Research, Ljubiša Bojić (JSI) and his team explored a multidisciplinary approach to testing and aligning artificial intelligence (AI), with a special focus on large language models (LLMs). They investigated a simulation-based multi-agent system replicating a real-world environment. In this case, the paper focuses on a digital replication of a city, populated by “digital citizens” that are simulating complex social structures and behaviours. This theoretical work is vital for our joint research project and provides valuable insights for the construction of a Twin of an Online Social Network (TWON).

The article identifies theoretical perspectives from diverse disciplines that can contribute to developing AI that is socially responsible and aligned with human values. The strength of the article lies in its ability to bring together theoretical perspectives from fields as diverse as sociology, social psychology, computer science, physics, biology, and economics. In this multidisciplinary approach, the study resembles the TWON project as a whole – bringing together researchers from across Europe and from diverse academic backgrounds.

If you want to learn more, you can access the full article here.

Project Review Meeting with the EU-Commission in Brussels

On June 4th the first project review meeting of our EU-funded project “TWON – Twin of Online Social Networks” took place in Brussels. This was a great opportunity to reflect the first year of work in the consortium. We received valuable and encouraging feedback by Prof. Kalina Bontcheva (University of Sheffield), José Manuel Gómez Pérez (Director Language Technology Research at expert.ai) and Ilona von Bethlenfalvy (European Commission), which we will use in the next steps of our project.

On the previous day we also had a consortium meeting in the representation of the state of Baden-Württemberg to the European Union in Brussels – thank you for hosting us!

Jonas Fegert, Michael Mäs, Marko Grobelnik, Achim Rettinger and Damian Trilling (left to right)

Marko Grobelnik, Achim Rettinger, Michael Mäs, Damian Trilling, Alisa Kerschbaum
and Jonas Fegert (left to right)

Consortium Meeting in Trier in March 2024

After nearly a year and two consortium meetings in Amsterdam and Karlsruhe, the TWON team met again on March 11. to March 13. 2024 in Trier. University Trier (UT) planned two intensive days to collate previous developments and direct the project into the first simulation phase. However, before diving into the workshops and presentations, UT hosted an auxiliary welcome dinner where early arrivals could taste regional produce in a nostalgic setting beside the old-town cathedral.

The TWON consortium in Trier

Lifted by the ancient Roman spirits and their legacy, the team started the first day by providing updates about the work of each partner. The presentation showed that the team came a long way from their theoretical proposals defined in the last consortium meeting to the first experiments and insights. As planned, the team formed independent working groups to maximize their efficiency during the TWON implementation. Concerning the user simulation, Michael Heseltine presented the first analysis of the human-perceived authenticity of synthetic content across European languages as a joint work with Simon Münker. Michael Mäs and his team proposed a recommendation system, a global white-box approach as a baseline, and Sjoerd B. Stolwijk an initial definition to assess the discourse quality. The modules allow separate usage for fundamental research and utilization in similar scenarios. However, without a technical backbone, their usability is limited. Abdul Sittar presented a refined version of this backbone, almost ready for the first simulation.

Besides focusing on direct project progress, Achim Rettinger, the host of this meeting, invited the UT law department. To broaden the perspective of the team members, the law department discussed the upcoming regulations in the EU concerning AI and social media networks (OSN). While not having a direct influence, this interlude presented opportunities for TWON to possibly engage with OSN providers to request data. Dripping like soaked sponges full of impressions, the team stopped for some last nuggets, this time drinks and food, at a local winery.

Not only educated by yesterday’s presentations but also the numerous ingenious conversations between wine and dinner, the team gathered for the second day to plan the next steps. With a focus on the upcoming case study, the research group split into breakout sessions to decide the experiment’s boundary conditions and subsequent steps. Thus, in unanimous agreement, the team decides to conduct the controlled field study in a hybrid setup, with humans and agents, discussing the upcoming Ukrainian elections.

The meeting ended with a guided exploration of the historic city center and famous Roman architectural buildings. Trier, the oldest city in Germany, residuals reminiscent of its long-gone power as the capital of the Roman Empire, is now possibly a stone in the pathway toward human-centric AI. The next meeting will occur in Dubrovnik, a place equally historically impactful!

Refining Deliberative Standards for Online Political Communication: Introducing a Summative Approach to Designing Deliberative Recommender Systems

How can Social Media best foster democratic debates? In a new paper, TWON’s very own Sjoerd Stolwijk, Michael Heseltine, Corinna Oschatz, and Damian Trilling challenge the notion that a perfect debate on social media platforms is a desirable outcome.

Over the last few years, diagnoses that the democracies of post-industrial nations of the global north are in decline have spread like proverbial wildfire. Often times, the way that social media continues shaping our lives and interactions with one another is held at least partially accountable for its ostensible effect on larger societal structures.

Contrasting the established “additive” paradigm of deliberative democracy research, Stolwijk, Heseltine, Oschatz and Trilling “propose an alternative conception of debate quality for online platforms, based on the recently proposed systematic, summative approach to deliberative democracy”. Using this approach, the researchers shift the focus from singular factors of deliberation to more systemic interdependences of deliberative factors and their effects on society at large.

Starting with an outline of critiques of the additive approach and its unitary implications, Stolwijk et al. inquire into the effects of deliberation indicators on one another as opposed to their effects on a monolithic deliberation. Continuing, they pose the question of exactly where online platforms fit into the larger system of deliberative democracy and whether they can be placed within a ‘micro-meso-macro’-layer approach.

On the base of this contextualisation, the authors move on to propose the ‘summative approach’ to deliberative democracy and online platforms’ role within it, arriving at the proposition that online communication should be viewed as complementary to existing forms of deliberation rather than a replacement.

“when facilitating debate between citizens, instead of aiming for civil conversation, it might be better for (macro) deliberative democracy, if in some cases people are allowed some incivility to make suppressed voices heard or to create a communicative environment where some might feel more at home, where they feel they don’t need to be eloquent and highly educated to be allowed to speak up”

The authors included a comparative table containing both ‘additive’ and ‘summative’ indicators for successful deliberation, both as an overview and an invitation for other researchers to contribute and improve. Concluding remarks reiterate the paper’s findings and summarise the scientific value of the ‘summative’ approach.

In an effort to promote inclusivity and accessibility, papers published by the TWON consortium are published as open-source. So check out our paper for free, published here.