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Professor Sujin Choi at the Department of Media was selected for the National Research Foundation of Korea's basic research project in the field of basic science and technology

Professor Choi planned a study under the title, “Network modeling for predicting video content usage patterns of general citizens.” This is a convergence study of social science and computer engineering, which is remarkable that a social science researcher was selected for the convergence research. We met with Professor Choi and heard about the reasons for planning convergence research and the research plan.

Research on OTT user pattern prediction model proposal; filling theoretical gaps from the perspective of humanities and sociology
Q) Please tell us about your research.
A) Basically, this is a study related to OTT users. OTT services utilize online indicators such as content usage lists, ratings, and reviews to identify user preferences and recommend content. This recommendation feature is a technical approach. Content is an experience. Unlike other manufactured merchandise and goods, users must directly experience the content to judge its value. Therefore, it is difficult to use past records of consumption tendencies to reliably predict the future trend.

Based on these characteristics of cultural contents and the patterns of user consumption, it seemed that research on the users themselves was organically necessary. This is an area that has largely been neglected in previous research in the science and engineering fields. I believed that by carefully examining the characteristics of users, more accurate content recommendations would emerge. As a researcher in the humanities and social science field, I was confident that I could fill this theoretical gap.

Q) What is the significance of being selected for this project?
A) As a social scientist, I would like to elaborate on “Why social science is embracing computing.” So far, answers to social problems have been explored using traditional social science research methods, such as sampling-based surveys and small-scale experiments. The information collected in this process mainly falls into the category of cognitive data. In the survey, for instance, the answer “I use YouTube five times a day” is what the person believes to be their frequency of daily use. The actual number of uses may not exactly correspond with the number they believe.

In this research, therefore, I use both digital log data and big data to increase the accuracy of the result. Digital log data is mechanically recorded data that provides accurate information on human behavior, but it provides no information on the cause of the behavior. To understand the reasons for the behavior, existing social scientific research methods such as questionnaires must also be used. This process has the advantage of combining a social scientist's awareness of social problems, knowledge of traditional social science research methods, and knowledge of computational methods. The selection of this project is a recognition of my personal awareness of the problem and the soundness of the research methodology.

Q) Please tell us about your future plans.
A) Since a number of doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students regularly participate in the research, it would be great to create a virtuous cycle in which these students can grow into the next academic generation and continue their research. We are imagining a process of placing students in suitable positions for upcoming projects based on their major areas of specialty and data analysis skills and having them participate as co-authors of papers. This will also be augmented by opportunities for the students to attend international academic conferences to present the research results.

Most research in science and engineering fields takes a technical approach: creating a model and evaluating its performance. I want to introduce human elements in this process such as individual differences in preference depending on the user. If user characteristics are reflected in science and engineering technologies, it would facilitate more accurate content recommendations. Based on my critical awareness as a social scientist, I will continue to strive to present academically meaningful and practical research results through a convergent approach of both social science and science & engineering.