The echo chamber effect on social media

doi:10.1073/pnas.2023301118

Paper

The echo chamber effect on social media

Published Feb 23, 2021 · Matteo Cinelli, Gianmarco De Francisci Morales, Alessandro Galeazzi

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Q1 SJR score

874

Citations

37

Influential Citations

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Semantic Scholar

Abstract

Significance We explore the key differences between the main social media platforms and how they are likely to influence information spreading and the formation of echo chambers. To assess the different dynamics, we perform a comparative analysis on more than 100 million pieces of content concerning controversial topics (e.g., gun control, vaccination, abortion) from Gab, Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter. The analysis focuses on two main dimensions: 1) homophily in the interaction networks and 2) bias in the information diffusion toward like-minded peers. Our results show that the aggregation in homophilic clusters of users dominates online dynamics. However, a direct comparison of news consumption on Facebook and Reddit shows higher segregation on Facebook. Social media may limit the exposure to diverse perspectives and favor the formation of groups of like-minded users framing and reinforcing a shared narrative, that is, echo chambers. However, the interaction paradigms among users and feed algorithms greatly vary across social media platforms. This paper explores the key differences between the main social media platforms and how they are likely to influence information spreading and echo chambers’ formation. We perform a comparative analysis of more than 100 million pieces of content concerning several controversial topics (e.g., gun control, vaccination, abortion) from Gab, Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter. We quantify echo chambers over social media by two main ingredients: 1) homophily in the interaction networks and 2) bias in the information diffusion toward like-minded peers. Our results show that the aggregation of users in homophilic clusters dominate online interactions on Facebook and Twitter. We conclude the paper by directly comparing news consumption on Facebook and Reddit, finding higher segregation on Facebook.

Observational Study

Highly Cited

Study Snapshot

Key takeawaySocial media platforms influence information spreading and echo chamber formation, with higher segregation on Facebook compared to Reddit.

PopulationOlder adults (50-71 years)

Sample size24

MethodsObservational

OutcomesBody Mass Index projections

ResultsSocial networks mitigate obesity in older groups.

Paper

The echo chamber effect on social media

References

Social Media, Echo Chambers, and Political Polarization

Social media creates echo chambers, allowing like-minded individuals to find one another, leading to political polarization and increasing mistrust in public officials and media outlets.

Partisan differences in physical distancing are linked to health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic

US counties that voted for Donald Trump in 2016 exhibited 14% less physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to higher infection and fatality rates in pro-Trump counties.

Cross-Platform State Propaganda: Russian Trolls on Twitter and YouTube during the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election

The Internet Research Agency (IRA) used a multifaceted strategy during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, supporting the Republican campaign through links to both sides of the ideological spectrum and promoting content across social media platforms.

The COVID-19 social media infodemic

COVID-19 information spreads on social media platforms differently, with different volumes of misinformation and rumors amplification depending on the platform.

How people decide what they want to know

People seek or avoid information based on their assessment of its potential impact on their action, affect, and cognition, potentially impacting mental health.

Partisan differences in physical distancing are linked to health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

US counties that voted for Donald Trump in 2016 exhibited 14% less physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to higher infection and fatality rates in pro-Trump counties.

Citations