Algorithmic Design and Creator Incentives: When Platform Recommendation Designs Shape Effort, Entry, and Retention
Release time：19 January 2026
Jan
20
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Time & Date
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14:00 pm
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15:00 pm,
January
20,
2026
(Tuesday)
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Venue
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Room D604, Teaching Complex D Building
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| TOPIC | Algorithmic Design and Creator Incentives: When Platform Recommendation Designs Shape Effort, Entry, and Retention |
| TIME&DATE | 2:00 pm - 03:00 pm, January 20, 2026 (Tuesday) |
| Venue | Room D604, Teaching Complex D Building |
| Speaker |
Zhou Zhou Fudan University |
| Abstract | Algorithmic feeds determine which creators receive traffic and which communities grow. We study a platform that chooses between an exclusive feed that protects an anchor creator’s followers and a redistributive feed that cross‑exposes those followers to entrants. The platform also sets revenue sharing, with a baseline share on public views and a possibly higher payout on follower views. Three results emerge. First, redistribution expands total exposure but lowers the anchor’s private return to effort; without targeted compensation on follower views, anchor effort—and sometimes participation—falls. Second, recommendation and revenue sharing are strategic complements: redistribution is sustainable precisely when follower traffic is paid at a higher rate, which restores the anchor’s incentive. Third, high, uniform sharing can backfire by tightening the cap on follower uplifts, blunting incentives where redistribution bites and reducing consumer surplus. Our model rationalizes the coexistence of “For You/Home” (redistributive) and “Following/Subscriptions” (exclusive), as well as how traffic allocation ties with revenue sharing mechanism. It yields testable predictions for when to protect follower traffic versus when to redistribute it with targeted incentives. |
| Biography | Zhou Zhou is an Associate Professor in the Department of Information Management and Business Intelligence at the School of Management, Fudan University. His research interests include digital platform strategy and design, platform governance, and digital innovation. His work has been published in leading international journals such as MIS Quarterly and the Academy of Management Review. |
