Ideas of India
Aarushi Kalra on Digital Polarization and Toxicity, Understanding User Behavior, Social Media Algorithms, and Platform Incentives
Nov 7, 2024
Aarushi Kalra, a PhD candidate in Economics at Brown University, sheds light on the intricate relationship between social media algorithms and digital polarization. She discusses her research on online behavior, specifically how recommendation systems can amplify toxic speech against minorities. Kalra explores user engagement with harmful content, the demand for toxicity, and the challenges of platform regulation. She highlights the complexities of defining toxicity and emphasizes the proactive nature of users in shaping media narratives.
49:45
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Quick takeaways
- The study reveals that social media users actively engage with toxic content, challenging the perception that algorithmic supply is the sole driver.
- Personalization algorithms increase the sharing of toxic posts, indicating significant user preferences that complicate platform regulation efforts against online toxicity.
Deep dives
Exploring Online Toxicity and User Behavior
A study investigates the dynamics of online toxicity in social media, focusing on user engagement with harmful content. It addresses whether social media users are driven to toxic posts by recommendation algorithms or if they actively seek out such content. The findings indicate that when personalization algorithms are disabled, users engage with 27% less toxic content but also spend 35% less time on the platform. In contrast, when exposed to personalized feeds, while the total viewing of toxic posts is lower, sharing actually increases by 18%, revealing a significant user preference for sharing toxic content.
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