Polarization, a🧵
30 years ago, the Internet was hailed as creating a globally connected community.
Yet today, we're seeing more attention to how social media are *increasing* polarization.
E.g. @elipariser @JonHaidt and others
#filterbubble
#cyberbalkans
#polarization
1/n
30 years ago, the Internet was hailed as creating a globally connected community.
Yet today, we're seeing more attention to how social media are *increasing* polarization.
E.g. @elipariser @JonHaidt and others
#filterbubble
#cyberbalkans
#polarization
1/n
@elipariser @JonHaidt What’s driving the increased online polarization?
Marshall van Alstyne explore how greater connectivity could great filter bubbles and amplify differences between groups in our 1996 and 2005 papers.
2/n
Marshall van Alstyne explore how greater connectivity could great filter bubbles and amplify differences between groups in our 1996 and 2005 papers.
2/n
@elipariser @JonHaidt In theory, virtual communities let us connect with far more people and ideas.
In practice, our time, attention and mental processing capacity are still limited, so we must limit who we interact with.
3/n
In practice, our time, attention and mental processing capacity are still limited, so we must limit who we interact with.
3/n
@elipariser @JonHaidt In virtual communities, we typically filter on dimensions other than geography.
These might include links to existing connections or similarity of tastes, interests, or values.
4/n
These might include links to existing connections or similarity of tastes, interests, or values.
4/n
@elipariser @JonHaidt As a result, virtual communities can decrease expected integration and increase information distance relative to geographic communities.
5/n
5/n
@elipariser @JonHaidt Increasing the variety of topics, the number of social contacts, or information abundance can each have create filter bubbles.
The narrower are population preferences, the worse the balkanizing and stratifying effects.
6/n
The narrower are population preferences, the worse the balkanizing and stratifying effects.
6/n
@elipariser @JonHaidt Polarization is not inevitable as online communities capture more of our attention.
A taste for diversity (or teaching it) prevents and even reverses filter bubbles.
7/n
A taste for diversity (or teaching it) prevents and even reverses filter bubbles.
7/n
@elipariser @JonHaidt .@InfoEcon
and I describe these ideas more in our papers:
pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/mn…
citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summar…
8/n
science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…
and I describe these ideas more in our papers:
pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/mn…
citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summar…
8/n
science.org/doi/10.1126/sc…
@elipariser @JonHaidt @InfoEcon This figure from our paper illustrates one of the basic ideas: geography neighbors are replaced by neighbor in "topic" space who share our interests or values.
9/n
9/n
@elipariser @JonHaidt @InfoEcon Increasing connectivity tends to *increase* balkanization (filter bubbles) when preferences are narrow.
But that effect is reversed if people have preferences for diverse information.
10/n
But that effect is reversed if people have preferences for diverse information.
10/n
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