Public opinion is shaped in significant part by online content, spread via social media and curated algorithmically. The current online ecosystem has been designed predominantly to capture user attention rather than to promote deliberate cognition and autonomous choice; information overload, finely tuned personalization and distorted social cues, in turn, pave the way for manipulation and the spread of false information. How can transparency and autonomy be promoted instead, thus fostering the positive potential of the web? Effective web governance informed by behavioural research is critically needed to empower individuals online. We identify technologically available yet largely untapped cues that can be harnessed to indicate the epistemic quality of online content, the factors underlying algorithmic decisions and the degree of consensus in online debates. We then map out two classes of behavioural interventions—nudging and boosting— that enlist these cues to redesign online environments for informed and autonomous choice.

公众舆论很大程度上取决于在线内容，这些内容通过社交媒体传播并通过算法进行策划。当前的在线生态系统的设计主要是为了吸引用户的关注，而不是促进刻意的认知和自主选择；信息超载，精心调整的个性化设置和扭曲的社会暗示，反过来又为操纵和传播虚假信息铺平了道路。如何提高透明度和自主性，从而培育网络的积极潜力？迫切需要通过行为研究获得有效的Web治理，以增强个人在线能力。我们确定技术上可用但尚未开发的线索，这些线索可以用来指示在线内容的认知质量，在线辩论中算法决策的基础因素和共识程度。然后，我们绘制出两类行为干预措施（即刺激措施和促进措施），它们吸收了这些线索来重新设计在线环境，以进行明智的自主选择。