{"ID":2888401,"CreatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","UpdatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","DeletedAt":null,"paper_url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.23585","arxiv_id":"2507.23585","title":"Agency Among Agents: Designing with Hypertextual Friction in the Algorithmic Web","abstract":"Today's algorithm-driven interfaces, from recommendation feeds to GenAI tools, often prioritize engagement and efficiency at the expense of user agency. As systems take on more decision-making, users have less control over what they see and how meaning or relationships between content are constructed. This paper introduces \"Hypertextual Friction,\" a conceptual design stance that repositions classical hypertext principles--friction, traceability, and structure--as actionable values for reclaiming agency in algorithmically mediated environments. Through a comparative analysis of real-world interfaces--Wikipedia vs. Instagram Explore, and Are.na vs. GenAI image tools--we examine how different systems structure user experience, navigation, and authorship. We show that hypertext systems emphasize provenance, associative thinking, and user-driven meaning-making, while algorithmic systems tend to obscure process and flatten participation. We contribute: (1) a comparative analysis of how interface structures shape agency in user-driven versus agent-driven systems, and (2) a conceptual stance that offers hypertextual values as design commitments for reclaiming agency in an increasingly algorithmic web.","short_abstract":"Today's algorithm-driven interfaces, from recommendation feeds to GenAI tools, often prioritize engagement and efficiency at the expense of user agency. As systems take on more decision-making, users have less control over what they see and how meaning or relationships between content are constructed. This paper introd...","url_abs":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.23585","url_pdf":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2507.23585v1","authors":"[\"Sophia Liu\",\"Shm Garanganao Almeda\"]","published":"2025-07-31T14:18:28Z","proceeding":"cs.HC","tasks":"[\"cs.HC\",\"cs.AI\",\"cs.MM\",\"cs.SI\"]","methods":"[]","has_code":false}