Emotion shapes the diffusion of moralized content in social networks

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1618923114
• Publication Date: 2017-06-27T00:40:30Z
• Authors: William J. Brady; Julian A. Wills; John T. Jost; Joshua A. Tucker; Jay J. Van Bavel
• Keywords: Presidential election; Content (measure theory)

Significance Twitter and other social media platforms are believed to have altered the course of numerous historical events, from Arab Spring US presidential election. Online networks become a ubiquitous medium for discussing moral political ideas. Nevertheless, field psychology has yet investigate why some ideas spread more widely than others. Using large sample communications concerning polarizing issues in public policy debates (gun control, same-sex marriage, climate change), we found that presence moral-emotional language messages substantially increases their diffusion within (and less so between) ideological group boundaries. These findings offer insights into how during real discussion.