Exposing people to diverse views fails because social media rewards outrage

Evidence

Piercing the echo chamber is not simply a matter of exposing people to more diverse views from the other side; social media disproportionally incentivizes negative engagement (such as moral outrage) which can further polarize people. — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 479

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the moral-outrage and polarization literature I’ve read in communication studies and to the moderation-is-not-information-transfer point from prior chapters. — connects to: Polarization arises from social media access, not from people’s own content choices — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 466; Social media exploits public opinion, which resists challenge and change; Exposing people to opposing viewpoints increases rather than reduces polarization — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation Infects…, 453 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Exposing people to opposing viewpoints increases rather than reduces polarization #corroborates (0.90) — Sander van der Linden, Foolproof, 453
• Emotionally charged content spreads better, so platforms optimize for outrage #expands (0.90) — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 487
• Cross-cutting exposure fails because outgroup posts are predominantly derogatory #expands (0.85)
• Social media exploits public opinion, which resists challenge and change #expands (0.80)