Kokyb

Kokyb is a fictional term used in speculative discourse to describe a principle of balance between human agency and algorithmic curation in digital ecosystems. It is presented as a normative concept guiding interface design, policy debates about personalization, and discussions of content democracy, rather than as a fixed technology or standard.

The term kokyb has no established etymology and emerged in online communities during the early 2020s. It is used by scholars, designers, and commentators to frame conversations about how much influence algorithms should exert over what users see, and how much control individuals should retain over their digital experiences. Because it is a constructed concept, its precise meaning can vary across discussions.

Definition and components: Kokyb denotes a holistic balance among four aspects: exposure diversity, user autonomy, transparency, and accountability. In design contexts, a higher kokyb score is imagined to reflect more varied content, greater opportunities for user override, clearer explanations of recommendation reasons, and mechanisms to audit or challenge algorithmic behavior. The concept is inherently normative and context-dependent, rather than a universal metric.

Applications and reception: Kokyb has been discussed in design guidelines, critical essays, and debates on platform governance. Proponents see it as a useful heuristic for mitigating issues like filter bubbles and user manipulation, while critics argue that kokyb is subjective and may be difficult to apply consistently across different platforms and cultures.

See also: Algorithmic transparency, Recommender systems, Human-centered AI, Filter bubble.