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Radical right influencers routinely use social media to spread highly divisive, disruptive and anti-democratic messages. Assessing and countering the challenge that such content poses is crucial for ensuring that online spaces remain open,…
Video dissemination through sites such as YouTube can have widespread impacts on opinions, thoughts, and cultures. Not all videos will reach the same popularity and have the same impact. Popularity differences arise not only because of…
YouTube is a valuable source of user-generated content on a wide range of topics, and it encourages user participation through the use of a comment system. Video content is increasingly addressing scientific topics, and there is evidence…
Using language models, we analyze a sample of 67 million tweets and 30 million Reddit comments referencing a set of 215 political entities from 2010-2023 from partisan users, journalists, and politicians. Our analysis indicates outgroup…
Video communication has been rapidly increasing over the past decade, with YouTube providing a medium where users can post, discover, share, and react to videos. There has also been an increase in the number of videos citing research…
The digital landscape provides a dynamic platform for political discourse crucial for understanding shifts in public opinion and engagement especially under authoritarian governments This study examines YouTube user behavior during the…
On July 1, 2025, YouTube retired its decade-long public "Trending" pages, ending platform-curated, non-personalized video discovery. The Trending list had long served as a vital lens into algorithmic influence, cultural diffusion, and…
The growing popularity of short-form video content, such as YouTube Shorts, has transformed user engagement on digital platforms, raising critical questions about the role of recommendation algorithms in shaping user experiences. These…
Despite Facebook's central role in American civic life, a clear, evidence-based understanding of users' long-term information environments has remained elusive, hindering assessments of the platform's societal impact. This study addresses…
YouTube is among the most widely-used platforms worldwide, and has seen a lot of recent academic attention. Despite its popularity and the number of studies conducted on it, much less is understood about the way in which YouTube's Data API,…
In this study, we characterize the cross-platform mobilization of YouTube and BitChute videos on Twitter during the 2020 U.S. Election fraud discussions. Specifically, we extend the VoterFraud2020 dataset to describe the prevalence of…
Cross-cutting commenting on social media is often imagined as a path to deliberation, yet exposure to opposing views frequently fuels hostility. To explain this dynamic, we introduce the concept of partisan warriors--commenters who cross…
Social media have great potential to support diverse information sharing, but there is widespread concern that platforms like Twitter do not result in communication between those who hold contradictory viewpoints. Because users can choose…
Established in 2005, YouTube has become the most successful Internet site providing a new generation of short video sharing service. Today, YouTube alone comprises approximately 20% of all HTTP traffic, or nearly 10% of all traffic on the…
Conspiracy theories are increasingly a subject of research interest as society grapples with their rapid growth in areas such as politics or public health. Previous work has established YouTube as one of the most popular sites for people to…
Polarization, declining trust, and wavering support for democratic norms are pressing threats to U.S. democracy. Exposure to verified and quality news may lower individual susceptibility to these threats and make citizens more resilient to…
Social media provide a fertile ground where conspiracy theories and radical ideas can flourish, reach broad audiences, and sometimes lead to hate or violence beyond the online world itself. QAnon represents a notable example of a political…
Inappropriate and profane content on social media is exponentially increasing and big corporations are becoming more aware of the type of content on which they are advertising and how it may affect their brand reputation. But with a huge…
Online debates are often characterised by extreme polarisation and heated discussions among users. The presence of hate speech online is becoming increasingly problematic, making necessary the development of appropriate countermeasures. In…
Personalized recommendation algorithms, like those on YouTube, significantly shape online content consumption. These systems aim to maximize engagement by learning users' preferences and aligning content accordingly but may unintentionally…