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PreprintCited by 1,222Misinformation and Its ImpactsSocial Media and PoliticsMedia Influence and Politics

Social Media, Political Polarization, and Political Disinformation: A Review of the Scientific Literature

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Tucker, Joshua Aaron, Guess, Andrew, Barbera, Pablo, Vaccari, Cristian, Siegel, Alexandra, Sanovich, Sergey, Stukal, Denis, Nyhan, Brendan·2018·SSRN Electronic Journal
DOI 10.2139/ssrn.3144139
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Abstract

The following report is intended to provide an overview of the current state of the literature on the relationship between social media; political polarization; and political “disinformation,” a term used to encompass a wide range of types of information about politics found online, including “fake news,” rumors, deliberately factually incorrect information, inadvertently factually incorrect information, politically slanted information, and “hyperpartisan” news. The review of the literature is provided in six separate sections, each of which can be read individually but that cumulatively are intended to provide an overview of what is known—and unknown—about the relationship between social media, political polarization, and disinformation. The report concludes by identifying key gaps in our understanding of these phenomena and the data that are needed to address them.

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  • El sistema contemporáneo de medios es más proclive a la polarización a diferencia de los sistemas de comunicación masiva durante el siglo veinte.

    “Un argumento común en el sistema contemporáneo de medios es más proclive a la polarización a diferencia de los sistemas de comunicación masiva durante el siglo veinte (Tucker et al, 2018).”

    From ¿Es válido atribuir la polarización política a la comunicación digital? Sobre burbujas, plataformas y polarización afectiva (2020) · cites this paper as Tucker et al, 2018

    The Introduction describes a prevailing narrative that online media can foster partisan segregation and polarization, and the Executive Summary says social media may accelerate polarization. But our copy does not compare the contemporary media system’s propensity to polarize with twentieth-century mass communication systems; the Introduction also says the evidence for the online-media account is less clear than that narrative suggests. No page numbers are available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.83)

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Authors
Tucker, J. A., Guess, A., Barbera, P., Vaccari, C., Siegel, A., Sanovich, S., Stukal, D., & Nyhan, B.
Affiliations
  • New York University (US)
  • Princeton University (US)
  • Royal Holloway University of London (GB)
  • University of Michigan (US)
Corresponding author
Tucker, Joshua Aaron
ORCID
Venue
SSRN Electronic Journal
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2018
ISSN
1556-5068 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.2139/ssrn.3144139
OpenAlex
W2797202416
Cited by
1,222
References
30
Citations by year
2026: 107 · 2025: 189 · 2024: 172 · 2023: 181 · 2022: 183 · 2021: 172 · 2020: 126 · 2019: 78 · 2018: 12 · 2015: 1
Type
posted content
Language
en
Open access
Licence
other-oa
Locations
  • SSRN Electronic Journal (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
  • London School of Economics and Political Science Research Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) (acceptedVersion)
  • London School of Economics and Political Science Research Online (London School of Economics and Political Science) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
  • Loughborough University Institutional Repository (Loughborough University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Loughborough University Research Repository (Loughborough University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Issue Lab (Candid) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
  • Social Sciences › Communication › Social Media and Politics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Media Influence and Politics
Keywords
social media, political polarization, political disinformation, fake news, rumors, research gaps

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