 |
This month: December 2020 Chatbot-mediated public service delivery: A public service value-based framework Chatbots — computer programs designed to interactively engage with users, replicating humanlike conversational capabilities during service encounters — have been increasingly deployed across a wide range of Internet-based public services. While chatbots provide several advantages, the surge of chatbot use in public service delivery has frequently been plagued with controversy, poor publicity, and legal challenges. One important reason for this is that users of the services, and the wider public, do not always feel that chatbot-mediated services demonstrate appropriate public service values. This paper investigates the public service value dimensions required in chatbots designed for use in the public sector. |
 |
Also this month Should users participate in governing social media? Philosophical and technical considerations of democratic social media In recent years, a plethora of well-known data scandals has led to calls for alternative forms of social media governance. What challenges of institutional design would have to be met for developing meaningful democratic governance structures for a social media platform? Intertwining philosophical and technological considerations, this article explores the possibility and feasibility of democratically governed social media. It focuses on the necessary technological requirements that guarantee secure voting for social media user participation. |
