Digital Humanism and Norms in Recommender Systems

Abstract

Recommender systems can have a substantial impact on individual choices and on society as a whole. However, there is no clear set of norms for the design and use of recommender systems. This paper argues that Digital Humanism can provide a framework to foster more ethical and value-driven technology design. It emphasizes values such as human rights, democracy, and inclusion, and offers a critical perspective on implicit norms that typically guide system design. From this perspective, norms for recommender systems should strive to counteract information and power asymmetries, strengthen democratic societies, and protect users’ dignity, freedom, and self-determination. Users should be given more control over their data and over the recommendations that they receive. Future research directions are outlined, encompassing transparent optimization objectives, user empowerment in modeling, democratic control mechanisms, and strategies for ethical personalization.