The Geometry of Information Cocoon: Analyzing the Cultural Space with Word Embedding Models

Accompanied by the rapid development of digital media, the threat of information cocoon has become a significant issue in our society. The purpose of this study is threefold: first, to provide a geometric framework of information cocoon; second, to examine the existence of information cocoon in the daily use of digital media; and third, to invistigae the relation between information cocoon and social class. We construct the cultural space with word embedding models among three large-scale datasets of digital media use. Our analysis reveal that information cocoons widely exist in the daily use of digital media across mobile apps, mobile reading and computer use. Moreover, people of lower social class have a higher probability of being stuck in the information cocoon filled with the content of entertainment. In contrast, the people of higher social class have more capability to stride over the constraints of information cocoon.