Social media feedback and extreme opinion expression.
On popular social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok, the quantitative feedback received by content producers is asymmetric: counts of positive reactions such as 'likes,' or 'retweets,' are easily observed but similar counts of negative reactions are...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0293805&type=printable |
| _version_ | 1797628823119855616 |
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| author | Elizaveta Konovalova Gaël Le Mens Nikolas Schöll |
| author_facet | Elizaveta Konovalova Gaël Le Mens Nikolas Schöll |
| author_sort | Elizaveta Konovalova |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | On popular social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok, the quantitative feedback received by content producers is asymmetric: counts of positive reactions such as 'likes,' or 'retweets,' are easily observed but similar counts of negative reactions are not directly available. We study how this design feature of social media platforms affects the expression of extreme opinions. Using simulations of a learning model, we compare two feedback environments that differ in terms of the availability of negative reaction counts. We find that expressed opinions are generally more extreme when negative reaction counts are not available than when they are. We rely on analyses of Twitter data and several online experiments to provide empirical support for key model assumptions and test model predictions. Our findings suggest that a simple design change might limit, under certain conditions, the expression of extreme opinions on social media. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T10:45:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-10605742528945f0ab2861f5b086c1f4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T10:45:37Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-10605742528945f0ab2861f5b086c1f42023-11-14T05:37:32ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-011811e029380510.1371/journal.pone.0293805Social media feedback and extreme opinion expression.Elizaveta KonovalovaGaël Le MensNikolas SchöllOn popular social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok, the quantitative feedback received by content producers is asymmetric: counts of positive reactions such as 'likes,' or 'retweets,' are easily observed but similar counts of negative reactions are not directly available. We study how this design feature of social media platforms affects the expression of extreme opinions. Using simulations of a learning model, we compare two feedback environments that differ in terms of the availability of negative reaction counts. We find that expressed opinions are generally more extreme when negative reaction counts are not available than when they are. We rely on analyses of Twitter data and several online experiments to provide empirical support for key model assumptions and test model predictions. Our findings suggest that a simple design change might limit, under certain conditions, the expression of extreme opinions on social media.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0293805&type=printable |
| spellingShingle | Elizaveta Konovalova Gaël Le Mens Nikolas Schöll Social media feedback and extreme opinion expression. PLoS ONE |
| title | Social media feedback and extreme opinion expression. |
| title_full | Social media feedback and extreme opinion expression. |
| title_fullStr | Social media feedback and extreme opinion expression. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social media feedback and extreme opinion expression. |
| title_short | Social media feedback and extreme opinion expression. |
| title_sort | social media feedback and extreme opinion expression |
| url | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0293805&type=printable |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT elizavetakonovalova socialmediafeedbackandextremeopinionexpression AT gaellemens socialmediafeedbackandextremeopinionexpression AT nikolasscholl socialmediafeedbackandextremeopinionexpression |