The 5 personalisation challenges that CPN is trying to resolve
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#1 Rebuilding trust in personalisation
What is the issue?
Due to social networks especially, we no longer know whether the information we get is correct, whether it’s complete or if we’re missing out on something. Nor why exactly we are being shown the information we see - we don’t really have any control over it. What’s more, the personalisation algorithms need to process huge amounts of data to learn about you as a user and recommend you the information that is most relevant to you. But it’s often not transparent what data is being used, nor can users modify it according to their preferences.
How is CPN trying to address that?
CPN aims to develop a personalisation solution that is transparent about what data is used and how, and that gives the user control over the use of their data. The processing of this data must be compliant with the GDPR and respect user privacy laws. CPN will researc and integrate the Data Protecting Regulations and privacy laws into the platform.
#2 Personalisation without reinforcing echo chambers and filter bubbles
What is the issue?
With the changing ways in which we’re consuming news, we’re increasingly confirming our existing beliefs through the narrow selections of information we see. Personalisation almost inherently reinforces such filter bubbles, as you will see more and more information that’s considered relevant to you. But there might be news you didn’t know you were interested in yet.
How is CPN trying to address that?
CPN aims to integrate some level of discovery into the algorithms, while taking into account that users will get annoyed if the news offering seems random when they expect it to be tailored to their interests. Through research and pilots with news users and news organisations, it will go through several iterations to find the right balance between discovery and personalisation.
#3 Integrating the particularities of news stories into the personalisation algorithms
What is the issue?
News content has an expiration date. To be relevant, the personalisation algorithms have to take into account the particularities of news stories. How do people consume news at different times of the day, in the week, under different circumstance, in different moods? What content do people expect to read when, and do they accept exceptions to the personalisation algorithm for stories that the newsroom considers of public interest, to everyone? Breaking news is considered relevant for ‘everyone’ – but what if you’re not interested in politics, for example: would you care if President Macron died? We need to find the right balance between what newsrooms want and what news users want, which is not always the same thing.
How is CPN trying to address that?
Within CPN, we research what elements are key in personalising news, so we will be able to integrate these elements into the personalisation algorithms and offer users the best possible experience at the right time, in the right context. At the same, we’re talking to news organisations to find out what they want from a news personalisation solution like CPN. Based on interviews with media organisations, we’re trying to codify the procedures used to define breaking news and integrate it into the algorithms. During the pilots, we will test what kinds of content people expect within a personalised news offer, and identify the best ways to present news stories in personalised news feed. Both for the news users and the news organisations.
#4 Developing a personalisation platform for different news organisations, large and small
What is the issue?
Many news organisations would like to apply personalisation, but most are not sure how to do this in reality. And while larger media organisations might be able to invest in developing their own personalisation solutions, small and medium sized publishers often lack the means to do so.
How is CPN trying to address that?
CPN aims to offer news organisations a toolkit, including a virtual open platform and best practices, to enable them to apply news personalisation in their organisation. CPN is developing an open virtual platform that can be adapted to the needs of different types and sizes of media organisations.
#5 Future-proofing news personalisation in a constantly changing environment
What is the issue?
As news consumption patterns change with new technological developments, and technological developments happen at an exponentially increasing rate, it’s important to anticipate such developments in order to remain relevant over time.
How is CPN trying to address that?
CPN organised workshops, surveys and meetings with news industry experts to identify the innovative components that could add value to CPN’s technical framework. It researched the potential value of newsbots, smart speakers, external and highly contextualised datasets, and multi-layered personalisation and sketched an outlook on how these components could be used in the CPN platform.
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Photo by Jeremy Galliani on Unsplash.
