Unraveling Information-Limiting Environments: An Empirical Review of Individual, Social, and Technological Filters in Social Media

Social media platforms offer a convenient way for people to interact and exchange information. However, there are sustained concerns that filter bubbles and echo chambers create information-limiting environments (ILEs) for their users. Despite a well-developed conceptual understanding, the empirical evidence regarding the causes and supporting conditions of these ILEs remains inconclusive. This paper addresses this gap by applying the triple-filter-bubble model developed by Geschke et al. (2019) to analyze empirical literature on the individual, social, and technological causes of ILEs. While we identify some factors that increase the probability of ILEs under certain conditions, our findings do not suffice to thoroughly validate conceptual models that explain why ILEs emerge. Therefore, we call for future research to investigate the causes of ILEs with higher external validity to develop a more comprehensive understanding of this phenomenon

Moral Grandstanding in Public Discourse: Status-Seeking Motives as a Potential Explanatory Mechanism in Predicting Conflict

Public discourse is often caustic and conflict-filled. This trend seems to be particularly evident when the content of such discourse is around moral issues (broadly defined) and when the discourse occurs on social media. Several explanatory mechanisms for such conflict have been explored in recent psychological and social-science literatures. The present work sought to examine a potentially novel explanatory mechanism defined in philosophical literature: Moral Grandstanding. According to philosophical accounts, Moral Grandstanding is the use of moral talk to seek social status. For the present work, we conducted six studies, using two undergraduate samples (Study 1, N = 361; Study 2, N = 356); a sample matched to U.S. norms for age, gender, race, income, Census region (Study 3, N = 1,063); a YouGov sample matched to U.S. demographic norms (Study 4, N = 2,000); and a brief, one-month longitudinal study of Mechanical Turk workers in the U.S. (Study 5, Baseline N = 499, follow-up n = 296), and a large, one-week YouGov sample matched to U.S. demographic norms (Baseline N = 2,519, follow-up n = 1,776). Across studies, we found initial support for the validity of Moral Grandstanding as a construct. Specifically, moral grandstanding motivation was associated with status-seeking personality traits, as well as greater political and moral conflict in daily life

Why we find little evidence of digital fragmentation, but should not stop researching it

Während Massenmedien üblicherweise integratives Potenzial zugeschrieben wird, wird dem Internet eher eine schädliche Wirkung auf den gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt unterstellt. Entsprechende Metaphern zu "Filterblasen" und "Echokammern" haben inzwischen auch in den öffentlichen Diskurs Einzug gehalten. Studien, die entsprechende Wirkungen einer digitalen Fragmentierung nachweisen, sind allerdings bisher eher selten. Der empirische Forschungsstand stützt Befürchtungen zu einem deutlichen Verlust an gesellschaftlichem Zusammenhalt durch das Internet somit nicht. Allerdings gibt es bei Extremgruppen am politischen Rand Anzeichen für digitale Fragmentierung. Angesichts des heterogenen Forschungsstands systematisiert der Beitrag theoretische Annahmen und empirische Befunde und argumentiert, dass die Erfassung digitaler Fragmentierung und ihrer Wirkungen weiter notwendig ist.While mass media are generally ascribed integrative potential, scholars assume negative effects on social cohesion for the Internet. Respective metaphors such as "filter bubbles" and "echo chambers" have meanwhile found their way into public discourse. However, empirical research that documents detrimental effects of digital fragmentation remains the exception. The state of research thus does not support fears about a stark loss of social cohesion due to the Internet. Yet there are groups on the fringe of the political spectrum that appear to be digitally fragmented. Given these heterogeneous results, the article systematizes theoretical assumptions and empirical findings and argues that it remains necessary to assess the extent and effects of digital fragmentation

The polarizing effect of partisan echo chambers

We are witnessing increasing partisan polarization across the world. It is often argued that partisan ‘echo chambers’ are one of the drivers of both policy and affective polarization. In this article, we develop and test the ar- gument that the political homogeneity of people’s social environment shapes polarization. Using an innovative, large-scale pre-registered ‘lab-in-the-field’ experiment in the UK, we examine how polarization is influenced by parti- san group homogeneity. We recruit nationally representative partisans and assign them to discuss a salient policy issue, either with like-minded par- tisans (an echo chamber) or in a mixed-partisan group. This allows us to examine how group composition affects polarization. In line with our ex- pectations, we find that partisan echo chambers increase both policy and affective polarization compared to mixed discussion groups. This has im- portant implications for our understanding of the drivers of polarization and for how outgroup animosity might be ameliorated in the mass public

Induction Ceremony Keynote Speech: What Facebook Knows about You that You Don\u27t Know they Know

Dr. Messineo, Associate Professor of Sociology at Ball State University was the keynote speaker at the joint induction ceremony for Pi Gamma Mu, Alpha Kappa Delta (sociology), Epsilon Delta Omicron (economics), Phi Alpha Theta (history), Pi Sigma Alpha (political science) and Tau Sigma (transfers students) at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York on November 23, 2015. This paper is a written version of that presentation, which discusses Online Behavior Advertising and its ramifications

TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING OF CONSPIRACY ECHO CHAMBERS ON FACEBOOK

Selective online exposure to information that serves to only affirm people’s opinions or is strongly aligned with their interests is considered to be a major issue in modern societies. Echo chambers, for example, are online environments in which users are only exposed to confirming opinions and alternative voices are excluded or discredited. Echo chambers are considered to be particularly dangerous, because they may lead to polarization and even radicalization. Social media facilitate the formation of echo chambers as described in the Social Identity Theory by means of homophily and depersonalization. This can be especially harmful in the case of conspiracy beliefs, where particularly extreme opinions lead to a stronger seclusion from society, encourage socially destructive actions, and curate Fake News. In our research we will assess different echo chambers in terms of actively established common patterns of consumed online information sources. To that end, we analyse the news source Likes from over 7,000 users with their approximately 1,450,000 Likes on Facebook. We intend to identify different types of Facebook echo chambers with a focus on conspiracy groups, understand distinguishing characteristics in communicative behaviour of the conspiracy groups on Facebook and explore unique characteristics of users in conspiracy echo chambers

How Does Social Media Feed Our Beliefs?

Nowadays, social media has become part of the daily routine for most people. Recently, it has also become the main source of news for many people, and as such, it could influence their beliefs in real life. It is known that social media has become a place where misinformation is spread and where governments try to influence their citizens. This review examines the processes by which social media may affect our beliefs. In general, beliefs are formed based on heuristics - mental shortcuts which, although adaptive, reveal flaws in our reasoning that can lead to unwanted biases. One of them is the mere exposure effect, often used in marketing for changing attitudes about certain products. Others, such as confirmation bias and bandwagon effects, are encouraged by the way social media platforms work (e.g., algorithms recommending personalized content). All of these can result in illusory truth effects, encouraging the spread of misinformation. The combination of these innate biases and the way social media works, creates echo chambers, situations where we are only presented with information we already believe in. Attempts at reducing these effects are discussed as well, such as designing digital nudges, flagging suspicious content, and reducing the data shared on platforms

Combating Fake News: A Gravity Well Simulation to Model Echo Chamber Formation In Social Media

Fake news has become a serious concern as distributing misinformation has become easier and more impactful. A solution is critically required. One solution is to ban fake news, but that approach could create more problems than it solves, and would also be problematic from the beginning, as it must first be identified to be banned. We initially propose a method to automatically recognize suspected fake news, and to provide news consumers with more information as to its veracity. We suggest that fake news is comprised of two components: premises and misleading content. Fake news can be condensed down to a collection of premises, which may or may not be true, and to various forms of misleading material, including biased arguments and language, misdirection, and manipulation. Misleading content can then be exposed. While valuable, this framework’s utility may be limited by artificial intelligence, which can be used to alter fake news strategies at a rate exceeding the ability to update the framework. Therefore, we propose a model for identifying echo chambers, which are widely reported to be havens for fake news producers and consumers. We simulate a social media interest group as a gravity well, through which we identify the online groups postured to become echo chambers, and thus a source for fake news consumption and replication. This echo chamber model is supported by three pillars related to the social media group: technology employed, topic explored, and confirmation bias of group members. The model is validated by modeling and analyzing 19 subreddits on the Reddit social media platform. Contributions include a working definition for fake news, a framework for recognizing fake news, a generic model for social media echo chambers including three pillars central to echo chamber formation, and a gravity well simulation for social media groups, implemented for 19 subreddits

How Does Social Media Feed Our Beliefs?

Nowadays, social media has become part of the daily routine for most people. Recently, it has also become the main source of news for many people, and as such, it could influence their beliefs in real life. It is known that social media has become a place where misinformation is spread and where governments try to influence their citizens. This review examines the processes by which social media may affect our beliefs. In general, beliefs are formed based on heuristics - mental shortcuts which, although adaptive, reveal flaws in our reasoning that can lead to unwanted biases. One of them is the mere exposure effect, often used in marketing for changing attitudes about certain products. Others, such as confirmation bias and bandwagon effects, are encouraged by the way social media platforms work (e.g., algorithms recommending personalized content). All of these can result in illusory truth effects, encouraging the spread of misinformation. The combination of these innate biases and the way social media works, creates echo chambers, situations where we are only presented with information we already believe in. Attempts at reducing these effects are discussed as well, such as designing digital nudges, flagging suspicious content, and reducing the data shared on platforms

The development of IT identity due to social media use : antecedents and impact on computer-based office work during COVID-19 pandemic

IT identity is a relatively new concept in the area of Management Information Systems (MIS). Its importance has become increasingly pronounced as identity is one of the predictors of human behavior. At the same time, understanding the behavior of individuals when using information technology (IT) in the workplace represents the link between technology investments and increased performance through IT. In this respect, one of the most used communication technologies recently, social media, allows individuals to extensively experience different facets of their identities. The overall objective of this thesis is to understand the development of IT identity due to social media use and assess its impact on computer-based office work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three specific objectives were defined for this purpose. Thus, the thesis is structured in three papers that sought to respond to each of the specific objectives, which are: (i) identify the possible antecedents of the development of IT identity due to social media use, (ii) the connection between them and the three reflective dimensions that constitute the identity of IT and, finally, (iii) the impact of IT identity due to the use of social media in the organizational scope. The first paper is a theoretical study and proposes the adaptation and expansion of Carter's original theoretical model (2012) from the theoretical instances related to this technology and that can influence the development of IT identity due to social media use. As a result, a conceptual model was developed. Ten propositions related to the concepts derived from the literature and inserted in three main instances of IT identity development were presented due to the use of social media. The empirical investigation of the relationship between the antecedents of the model proposed in the first paper and the three dimensions of IT identity began in the second article of the thesis. For this purpose, a netnography was proposed and executed between 2019 and 2021. One of the paper's findings indicated that the frequency of use of WhatsApp can lead to precipitation of the most strongly polarized behavior and that one of the reflective dimensions of IT identity, relatedness with WhatsApp, can play a preponderant role in the precipitation of such behavior. From this result, in paper 3, a quantitative and exploratory study, based on duality theory, sought to develop and test hypotheses about how IT identity concerning social media can benefit, but at the same time bring negative consequences for computer-based office workers in the current period of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this, a model was proposed showing the relationship between the dimensions of IT identity and four facets of the so-called New Ways of Working. Among the study's findings, it was verified that IT identity in relation to social media platforms could be a positive factor in preserving the cohesion of employees professional identity since feelings of affinity and emotional energy in relation to these technologies favored access to organizational knowledge and colleagues when working remotely. This thesis can contribute to expanding Carter's (2012) model to contemplate a class of IT as social media is constituted (paper 1). In turn, the expansion of the original model can potentially contribute to broadening the understanding of this technology's role in fostering polarized behavior in the use of WhatsApp, one of the most used social media these times(paper 2). Finally, in the third paper, the indication that the frequency of WhatsApp use may be associated with a strong IT identity about this technology (verified in paper 2) led to the proposition of a model to empirically test how the three dimensions of IT Identity in relation to the use of social media, directly and indirectly, influence the aspects of new ways of working for workers using computer devices to perform their duties. Emotional energy in relation to social media (i.e., prolonged feelings of confidence, enthusiasm, and energy toward social media) is positively related to superior performance when individuals direct it to their work use, allowing them to better handle the work-life conflict. The thesis presents limitations regarding its ability to inferences that were addressed in each of the papers. Similarly, suggestions for future research were presented in each paper. Finally, the conclusion chapter presents the integration of the thesis papers to form the complete study, the overview of research objectives, the main results, contributions to academia and practice, its limitations, and suggestions for future research.A identidade de TI é um conceito relativamente novo na área de Gestão de Sistemas de Informação (GSI). A sua importância tem se tornado cada vez mais acentuada na medida que a identidade é um dos preditores do comportamento humano. Paralelamente, a compreensão do comportamento dos indivíduos ao utilizar a tecnologia da informação (TI) no ambiente de trabalho representa o elo entre os investimentos em tecnologia e o aumento do desempenho por meio da TI. Sob esse aspecto, uma das tecnologias de comunicação mais usadas em tempos atuais, as mídias sociais, permitem de forma extensiva que os indivíduos experimentem diferentes facetas das suas identidades. O objetivo geral dessa tese é compreender o desenvolvimento da identidade de TI devido ao uso de mídias sociais e avaliar o seu impacto para os trabalhadores de escritório que utilizam dispositivos computacionais para executar suas funções de trabalho durante o período da pandemia de COVID-19. Para isso foram definidos três objetivos específicos. Sendo assim, a tese está estruturada em três artigos que buscam responder a cada um dos objetivos específicos, quais são: (i) identificar os possíveis antecedentes do desenvolvimento da identidade de TI devido ao uso de mídias sociais, (ii) a conexão entre eles e as três dimensões reflexivas que constituem a identidade de TI e, por fim, (iii) o impacto da identidade de TI devido ao uso de mídias sociais no âmbito organizacional. O primeiro artigo, de natureza teórica, propõe a adaptação e expansão do modelo teórico original de Carter (2012) a partir das instâncias teóricas aderentes ao uso e que influenciam o desenvolvimento da identidade de TI pelo uso de mídias sociais. Como resultado, foi desenvolvido um modelo conceitual em que foram apresentadas dez proposições interrelacionando os conceitos derivados da literatura e inseridos em três instâncias principais de desenvolvimento da identidade de TI devido ao uso de mídias sociais. A investigação empírica da relação entre os antecedentes do modelo proposto no artigo 1 e as três dimensões da identidade de TI iniciou-se na sequência no segundo artigo da tese. Para isso foi proposta uma netnografia que foi executada entre 2019 e 2021. Um dos achados do artigo indicou que a frequência de uso do WhatsApp pode levar a precipitação do comportamento mais fortemente polarizado e que uma das dimensões reflexivas da identidade de TI, a afinidade com o WhatsApp, pode desempenhar um papel preponderante na precipitação de tal comportamento. A partir desse resultado, no artigo 3, de natureza quantitativa e exploratória, tendo como base a teoria da dualidade, buscou-se desenvolver e testar hipóteses sobre como a identidade de TI em relação às mídias sociais pode beneficiar, mas ao mesmo tempo trazer consequências negativas para os trabalhadores de escritório que usam principalmente dispositivos computacionais para cumprir suas tarefas no atual período da pandemia de COVID-19. Para isso, foi proposto um modelo apresentando a relação entre as dimensões da identidade de TI e quatro facetas das chamadas Novas Formas de Trabalho. Entre os achados deste estudo, foi verificado que a identidade de TI em relação às plataformas de mídias sociais pode ser um fator positivo na preservação da coesão da identidade profissional dos colaboradores, uma vez que sentimentos de afinidade e energia emocional em relação a essas tecnologias favoreceram o acesso ao conhecimento organizacional e aos colegas ao trabalhar remotamente. Destacam-se como contribuições dessa tese a expansão do modelo de Carter (2012) para contemplar uma classe de TIs como são constituídas as mídias sociais (artigo 1). Por sua vez, a expansão do modelo original contribuiu para ampliar a compreensão do papel dessa tecnologia em fomentar o comportamento polarizado no uso do WhatsApp, uma das mídias sociais mais utilizadas em tempos atuais (artigo 2). Finalmente, no terceiro artigo a indicação de que a frequência de uso no WhatsApp pode estar associada a uma forte identidade de TI em relação a essa tecnologia (verificada no artigo 2), levou a proposição de um modelo para testar empiricamente de que forma as três dimensões da IT Identity em relação ao uso de mídias sociais influenciam direta e indiretamente os aspectos das novas formas de trabalho para os trabalhadores que utilizam dispositivos computacionais para desempenhar suas funções. A energia emocional em relação às mídias sociais (ou seja, sentimentos prolongados de confiança, entusiasmo e energia em relação às mídias sociais) está positivamente relacionada a um desempenho superior quando os indivíduos a direcionam para o seu uso do trabalho, permitindo-lhes também lidar melhor com os conflitos entre a vida profissional e a vida profissional. A tese apresenta limitações quanto a sua capacidade de inferências que foram endereçadas em cada um dos artigos. Da mesma forma, sugestões de pesquisas futuras foram apresentadas em cada artigo. Por fim, o capítulo de conclusão apresenta a integração dos artigos da tese para a formação do estudo completa, a retomada dos objetivos de pesquisa, os principais resultados, contribuições para a academia e para a prática, suas limitações e sugestões para pesquisas futuras