Recommender systems are becoming integral to how consumers discover media. The value that recommenders offer is personalization: in environments with many product choices, recommenders personalize the browsing and consumption experience to each userÕs taste. Popular applications include product...

This paper examines the effect of recommender systems on the diversity of sales. Two anecdotal views exist about such effects. Some believe recommenders help consumers discover new products and thus increase sales diversity. Others believe recommenders only reinforce the popularity of already...