- Note: This application was originally submitted via PDF due to a technical issue with the grant portal; this page was generated on behalf of the applicant by a member of the WikiCred team.
In an age of information that is accessible and available to all at the click of a button, the question of credibility arises even more. While previous studies emphasize the role of citations and visual appearance for evaluating content credibility. We propose a different approach, focusing on informational-educational gaming interactions with the Hebrew Wikipedia content and digital cultural materials. The purpose of this study is to investigate how interactive banners promote credibility when we vary their presentation experimentally. The project explores and advances the role of digital interactive tools-games that bring about content from the Hebrew-Wikipedia to center stage. By strengthening the broad impact on the general public, such networks and breakthroughs promise to increase circulation and have an influence on future educational systems.
| WIKI365 | |
|---|---|
| A WikiCred 2022 Grant Proposal | |
| Project Type | Research + Output |
| Author | (Ganitri) |
| Contact | grichter univ.haifa.ac.il |
| Requested amount | 10,000 USD |
| Award amount | Unknown |
- What is your idea?
- Why is it important?
Misinformation is a growing concern in today's online information ecosystem. Therefore, practitioners and researchers have invested substantial resources in exploring the spread of online misinformation. In order to inform users about potentially low-quality information, different approaches emerge. These include labelling false news with techniques that combine crowdsourcing and artificial intelligence (AI), or providing users with more context about the news they see to help them identify misinformation. Through gamification-based research, we will improve our understanding of the complex interactions between technologically mediated social systems and credibility. In recent years, gaming has become a major platform for entertainment, social commentary, communication, and creative expression. With this level of engagement, there is a real interest in exploring the potential of game mechanisms to address credibility, which can result in new insights about how to design sociotechnical systems/strategies that influence credibility.
- Link(s) to your resume or anything else (CV, GitHub, etc.) that may be relevant
- Links - examples: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/140GXrJadhWIAAfiSHLfiwS0JTZAB2jU1?usp=sharing
- Geographical impact: Israel and English-speaking countries
- Is your project already in progress?
No, not directly. I have previously studied the characteristics of knowledge sharing and the balance between instrumental and spam knowledge contributions.
- How is this project relevant to credibility and Wikipedia?
Wikipedia is a key player in our online information ecosystem. It has transformed itself into a source of trusted information—not just for its readers but also for other platforms and online systems. Recent work has examined the impact of citations on trust in Wikipedia, however, there can be other additional factors that affect user trust and more research is needed on this. Therefore, the challenge is twofold: 1. to keep it that way continue to hold its importance as center of knowledge. Strengthening the technological component as a bastion of knowledge presents incalculable opportunities for educational enrichment. 2.The use of language in future communication systems (play) promises to lead Wikipedia to a more relevant design, emphasizing information management and cultural development as a key component to lifelong literacy. Transmitting existing information in an intuitive way. Using playful interaction makes information gathering both fun and appealing and can mitigate the credibility challenge.
- What is the ultimate impact of this project?
This research will contribute to our understanding of how to present Wikipedia content in a way that improves credibility and build trust (in the eyes of users). It may strengthen our understanding of the complex interactions among technologically mediated social systems and public trust, leading to new insights about how to design sociotechnical systems that promote credibility, and can generate a set of insights about how the design of online networks can influence the correction of misinformation of many kinds, how to better tailor information presentation to suit different users and different use cases. Furthermore, transmitting existing information in an intuitive way, using playful interaction, makes information gathering both fun and appealing enhancing reaching new target audiences and strengthening the Wikipedia traditional role in information collection, accessibility, and mediation for long time users.
- Can your project scale?
It is possible to scale through if the research is conducted. The goal is to collect empirical data from lab experiments before moving on to online experiments. While we will collect data from the Hebrew Wikipedia, collaboration with the Wikimedia Foundation can lead to large experiments in the English Wikipedia.
- Why are you the people to do it?
Over the past decade, I have studied gamification as a motivational tool. In particular, I am interested in the managerial, educational, social, business, and political aspects of hedonic information systems. In my research on games and gamification, I examine the mechanisms of rewards and incentives, their motivational roles, the use of gamification in novel contexts, such as the interpretation of complex legal documents, and the effects of gamification on online behavior. Among my team members, I have an excellent graphic designer and a web designer. Her degree is in Digital Game Design (MDes). As part of her latest research, she explores how serious games affect human emotions and behavior.
- What is the impact of your idea on diversity and inclusiveness of the Wikimedia movement?
As women in STEM, and growing up in a small country in the Middle East, we know what it's like to be "outsiders". As a result, we understand the value of promoting an inclusive environment, where everyone has access to the information and tools they need to succeed. Furthermore, disinformation and fake news affect everyone, especially underserved communities; therefore, they undermine diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. The objective of this project is to advance our understanding of how credibility is designed. The benefits to them include strengthening Wikipedia as a cultural-social "institution" that facilitates leisure and enrichment online. Additionally, using games can be an effective method of attracting multigenerational audiences.
- What are the challenges associated with this project and how you will overcome them?
To focus our study, we need to narrow down an experimental condition set, design prototypes of the various experimental interfaces, and recruit a diverse and large sample of users. A major challenge for online data collection is achieving a high level of interest and participation. We intend to work with graduate students on the experimental design and prototypes since one of our team members is a graphic designer and a game designer. For testing out the interfaces and providing feedback, we will use our connections and university department to recruit a large and varied group of users. To recruit more widely, we will work with our contacts at the Wikimedia Foundation.
- How will you spend your funds?
The money will pay for the programming, game design, graduate student stipends, etc. expenses associated with the research.
- How long will your project take?
About 3 months for a smaller-scale study in a lab. Another 6 months to do a larger scale internet study.
- Have you worked on projects for previous grants before?
I won a grant from the Academy of Sciences and Humanities. In addition, I have been shortlisted for a highly competitive annual academic grant. The Wikimedia Foundation did not fund any of my projects.