Preference Measurement Error, Concentration in Recommendation Systems, and Persuasion

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Haupt, Andreas
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Haupt, Andreas
author_facet Haupt, Andreas
contents Algorithmic recommendation based on noisy preference measurement is prevalent in recommendation systems. This paper discusses the consequences of such recommendation on market concentration and inequality. Binary types denoting a statistical majority and minority are noisily revealed through a statistical experiment. The achievable utilities and recommendation shares for the two groups can be analyzed as a Bayesian Persuasion problem. While under arbitrary noise structures, effects on concentration compared to a full-information market are ambiguous, under symmetric noise, concentration increases and consumer welfare becomes more unequal. We define symmetric statistical experiments and analyze persuasion under a restriction to such experiments, which may be of independent interest.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_16972
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Preference Measurement Error, Concentration in Recommendation Systems, and Persuasion
Haupt, Andreas
Theoretical Economics
Computers and Society
Algorithmic recommendation based on noisy preference measurement is prevalent in recommendation systems. This paper discusses the consequences of such recommendation on market concentration and inequality. Binary types denoting a statistical majority and minority are noisily revealed through a statistical experiment. The achievable utilities and recommendation shares for the two groups can be analyzed as a Bayesian Persuasion problem. While under arbitrary noise structures, effects on concentration compared to a full-information market are ambiguous, under symmetric noise, concentration increases and consumer welfare becomes more unequal. We define symmetric statistical experiments and analyze persuasion under a restriction to such experiments, which may be of independent interest.
title Preference Measurement Error, Concentration in Recommendation Systems, and Persuasion
topic Theoretical Economics
Computers and Society
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.16972