Information Cascades and Hate
Cascading Hate
The common majority of Americans have heard the saying “if they jumped off a cliff would you?” And while this saying is important to take action and analyze one’s situation when noted, the reality is many of us are influenced by the actions of others and may even be led to decisions through their influence. This form of influence can very well be described as an information cascade, and while the implementation of certain information cascade stimuli may be positive (such as putting on a mask when you see a large group of individuals wearing a mask) the effects of information cascades can also be applied to the diffusion of hateful and fallacious information.
So how exactly do online forums perpetrate and facilitate the diffusion of hateful and dangerous misinformation? The existence of hate bots, spam accounts, and conspiracy discussion boards allows for the mass production of misinformation often containing hate and polarizing content. And while new implementations of fact checking software have been used on major platforms, their application is limited when it comes to smaller but still impactful interactions. For example, on user-influenced content platforms such as Twitter, which has become a central platform for political information and news, the presence and bolstering of hateful misinformation can be perilous as most individuals within conspiracy circles distrust fact-checking resources or don’t encounter them at all. The ability to retweet false news documents can trigger the diffusion of this misinformation onto users who normally don’t reside within conspiracy threads. Moreover, the existence of spam accounts and bots allow for the increased popularity of hateful misinformation, through fake users making the content seem more popular. Information cascades have the ability of having little or no information when dealing with large populations so the existence of hate bots and spam accounts, bolsters the impact and diffusion of this hate and misinformation.
Furthermore, the existence of free speech platforms facilitates cult followings especially among looming political extremists. Platforms such as reddit, 4chan,and Twitter allow for “free speech interaction” and as a result bolster the voice of hate and misinformation. Moreover, the existence of content recommendations allows for the increase of the frequency and severity of hate content a user interacts with, which can have especially dangerous consequences when it comes to political extremism and growing hate violence. Recent tragedies such as the Buffalo shooting, the New Zealand shooting, and even the US insurrection have shown a deep connection with these platforms and white-supremisist groups within them.
Growing political polarization in the US makes these platforms especially dangerous as they have shown they have a large impact on the diffusion and acceptance of potentially dangerous conspiracy theories. Moreover, the lack of gubernatorial oversight and regulation within these platforms erect a growing concern among most Americans. Especially recently with Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter and the return of “free speech” regulation on Twitter. The existence and rapid diffusion of misinformation within these platforms demonstrate a very real and growing concern in today’s society.
Sources :
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7839941/
https://s3.amazonaws.com/kf-site-legacy-media/feature_assets/www/misinfo/kf-disinformation-report.0cdbb232.pdf
https://harvardpolitics.com/alt-right-pipeline/