Cross-cultural differences in information processing of chatbot journalism: chatbot news service as a cultural artifact
Cross Cultural & Strategic Management
ISSN: 2059-5794
Article publication date: 18 April 2022
Issue publication date: 18 July 2022
Abstract
Purpose
How does algorithmic information processing affect the thoughts and behavior of artificial intelligence (AI) users? In this study, the authors address this question by focusing on algorithm-based chatbots and examine the influence of culture on algorithms as a form of digital intermediation.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a study comparing the United States (US) and Japan to examine how users in the two countries perceive the features of chatbot services and how the perceived features affect user trust and emotion.
Findings
Clear differences emerged after comparing algorithmic information processes involved in using and interacting with chatbots. Major attitudes toward chatbots are similar between the two cultures, although the weights placed on qualities differ. Japanese users put more weight on the functional qualities of chatbots, and US users place greater emphasis on non-functional qualities of algorithms in chatbots. US users appear more likely to anthropomorphize and accept explanations of algorithmic features than Japanese users.
Research limitations/implications
Different patterns of chatbot news adoption reveal that the acceptance of chatbots involves a cultural dimension as the algorithms reflect the values and interests of their constituencies. How users perceive chatbots and how they consume and interact with the chatbots depends on the cultural context in which the experience is situated.
Originality/value
A comparative juxtaposition of cultural-algorithmic interactions offers a useful way to examine how cultural values influence user behaviors and identify factors that influence attitude and user acceptance. Results imply that chatbots can be a cultural artifact, and chatbot journalism (CJ) can be a socially contextualized practice that is driven by the user's input and behavior, which are reflections of cultural values and practices.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This project has been funded by the Office of Research and the Institute for Social and Economic Research at Zayed University (The Policy Research Incentive Program 2022). This study is submitted as a deliverable to the Institute for Social and Economic Research, Zayed University. The authors thank the Institute for Social and Economic Research at Zayed University for their support.
Citation
Shin, D., Al-Imamy, S. and Hwang, Y. (2022), "Cross-cultural differences in information processing of chatbot journalism: chatbot news service as a cultural artifact", Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, Vol. 29 No. 3, pp. 618-638. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCSM-06-2020-0125
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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