We live in an age of high-choice platform environments. Nowadays, social media users have access to an increasing variety of social media platforms with varying socio-technical set-ups. This includes not only different “genres” of social media (e.g., social network sites, instant messengers, etc.) with different technological features and affordances (e.g., their level of anonymity and mobility) and a different stance on artificial intelligence (e.g., whether they use recommendation algorithms or enable social bots). Social media platforms can also differ in their self-presentation and moderation routines. For example, users now have access to platforms that position themselves as “alternatives” to “mainstream” platforms. These different socio-technological set-ups create distinct opportunity structures for human behavior including the spreading and emergence of intolerance.
In this project we draw from research in psychology, communication, and computer science to study the complex interplay between the technical set-up of social media platforms, the platforms self-presentation and moderation routines, the people that use these platforms and the spreading and effects of intolerance. Ultimately, we aim at laying ground for fostering the resilience of digital ecosystems against intolerance dynamics.
Contact:
Anne Clausen , Ph.D. student (aclausen@sam.sdu.dk)