A5029959450- Social Media and Politics
- Electoral Systems and Political Participation
- Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence
- Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Media Studies and Communication
- Media Influence and Politics
- Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection
- Electron and X-Ray Spectroscopy Techniques
- Misinformation and Its Impacts
- Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Youth Development and Social Support
- Internet Traffic Analysis and Secure E-voting
- Privacy-Preserving Technologies in Data
- Social and Cultural Dynamics
- Social Capital and Networks
- Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Privacy, Security, and Data Protection
- Complex Network Analysis Techniques
- Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
- Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
- Public Relations and Crisis Communication
- Reformation and Early Modern Christianity
- Higher Education Practises and Engagement
- Gender Politics and Representation
William & Mary
2013-2025
Williams (United States)
2011-2025
University of California, San Diego
2008-2013
Some social connections are stronger than others. People have not only friends, but also best friends. Social scientists long recognized this characteristic of and researchers frequently use the term tie strength to refer concept. We used online interaction data (specifically, Facebook interactions) successfully identify real-world strong ties. Ground truth was established by asking users themselves name their closest friends in real life. found frequency diagnostic ties, much more useful...
We investigated the effects of Facebook’s and Instagram’s feed algorithms during 2020 US election. assigned a sample consenting users to reverse-chronologically-ordered feeds instead default algorithms. Moving out algorithmic substantially decreased time they spent on platforms their activity. The chronological also affected exposure content: amount political untrustworthy content saw increased both platforms, classified as uncivil or containing slur words Facebook, from moderate friends...
Does Facebook enable ideological segregation in political news consumption? We analyzed exposure to during the US 2020 election using aggregated data for 208 million users. compared inventory of all that users could have seen their feeds with information they saw (after algorithmic curation) and which engaged. show (i) is high increases as we shift from potential actual engagement; (ii) there an asymmetry between conservative liberal audiences, a substantial corner ecosystem consumed...
Abstract Many critics raise concerns about the prevalence of ‘echo chambers’ on social media and their potential role in increasing political polarization. However, lack available data challenges conducting large-scale field experiments have made it difficult to assess scope problem 1,2 . Here we present from 2020 for entire population active adult Facebook users USA showing that content ‘like-minded’ sources constitutes majority what people see platform, although information news represent...
We studied the effects of exposure to reshared content on Facebook during 2020 US election by assigning a random set consenting, US-based users feeds that did not contain any reshares over 3-month period. find removing substantially decreases amount political news, including from untrustworthy sources, which are exposed; overall clicks and reactions; reduces partisan news clicks. Further, we observe produces clear in knowledge within sample, although there is some uncertainty about how this...
It is well known that humans tend to associate with other who have similar characteristics, but it unclear whether this tendency has consequences for the distribution of genotypes in a population. Although geneticists shown populations stratify genetically, process results from geographic sorting or assortative mating, and unknown may be correlated as consequence nonreproductive associations processes. Here, we study six available National Longitudinal Study Adolescent Health test genetic...
Scholars in many fields have long noted the importance of social context development political ideology. Recent work suggests that ideology also has a heritable component, but no specific gene variant or combination variants associated with so far been identified. Here, we hypothesize individuals genetic predisposition toward seeking out new experiences will tend to be more liberal, only if they are embedded provides them multiple points view. Using data from National Longitudinal Study...
Methodological limitations have hindered our ability to understand the conditions that make individuals seek or avoid political discussions. We introduce a methodological approach assess communication preferences in contexts where these choices are difficult measure. conduct three experiments examine how characteristics of people discussion, as well its topic, influence an individual's "price" participate. Participants indicated much they would need be compensated participate short...
Which individuals are most responsive to get-out-the-vote (GOTV) messages that emphasize the social aspects of voting? Recent literature has shown GOTV environment in which an individual is embedded particularly effective at increasing voting rates. Until now, we have not had good estimates for types people whom effective. We report a new set disaggregated results randomized controlled trial political mobilization delivered 61 million Facebook users during 2010 U.S. Congressional elections....
We study the effect of Facebook and Instagram access on political beliefs, attitudes, behavior by randomizing a subset 19,857 users 15,585 to deactivate their accounts for 6 wk before 2020 U.S. election. report four key findings. First, both deactivation reduced an index participation (driven mainly online). Second, had no significant knowledge, but secondary analyses suggest that it knowledge general news while possibly also decreasing belief in misinformation circulating online. Third, may...
One of the strongest regularities in empirical political science literature is well-known correlation parent and child partisan behavior. Until recently, this phenomenon was thought to result solely from parental socialization, but new evidence on genetic sources behavior suggests it might also be due heritability. In article, authors hypothesize that genes contribute variation a general tendency toward strength partisanship. Using data collected at Twins Days Festival, compare similarity...
Political socialization research has focused on the role of parents, extracurricular activities, and school curriculum during adolescence shaping early adult political behavior (Beck & Jennings, 1982; Flanagan, Syvertsen, Stout, 2007; Torney-Purta, Richardson, Barber, 2004). However, no study to date examined how properties adolescents’ social networks affect development outcomes. Using network analysis, we find that both a respondent’s integration in high his friends’ perceptions their...
Does lawmaker behavior influence electoral outcomes? Observational studies cannot elucidate the effect of legislative proposals on outcomes, since effects are confounded by unobserved differences in and political skill. We take advantage a unique natural experiment Canadian House Commons that allows us to estimate how proposing legislation affects election outcomes. The right noncabinet members propose is assigned lottery. Comparing outcomes between those who were granted not, we show...
While everyone deals with stressful situations on a daily basis, individuals have different behavioral reactions to that stress. We argue life stress also affects individuals’ political behavior, but this effect is contingent their past involvement. familiar and engaged in the process are unaffected when confronted life, who not routinely involved electoral more likely disengage from politics. To test differential effects of likelihood involvement, we fielded two experiments, one preceding...
How does living in a battleground state during presidential election affect an individual’s political engagement? We utilize unique collection of 113 million Facebook status updates to compare users’ discussion the 2008 election. “Battleground” users are significantly more likely discuss politics campaign season than uncompetitive “blackout” states. Posting update—a form day-to-day engagement with politics—mediates ∼20 percent relationship between exposure competition and self-reported voter...
Most Americans are sorted into social networks that largely politically homogeneous. A large body of political science research has explored the behavioral implications being embedded in a homogeneous or heterogeneous network, but substantially less attention been given to explaining why some people find themselves networks. In this article, we explore psychological and physiological underpinnings network homogeneity. We use data from an original survey 129 undergraduates paired with lab...
The proliferation of social media and rising political polarization have radically changed the landscape information transmission. We know little about effects these changes in on process socialization, despite an expectation that adolescents encounter may be particularly relevant to their development. Canonical research American behavior concluded teenagers do not firm partisan attachments or ideological orientations. However, recent suggests has induced develop attachments, opening...
Civic engagement is a classic example of collective action problem: while civic participation improves life in the community as whole, it individually costly and thus there an incentive to free ride on actions others. Yet, we observe significant inter-individual variation degree which people are fact civically engaged. Early accounts reconciling theoretical prediction with empirical reality focused either individuals’ material resources or their attitudes, but recent work has turned genetic...