Political SciencePNAS Nexus
Blocking of counter-partisan accounts drives political assortment on Twitter
C. Martel, M. Mosleh, et al.
Field experiments on Twitter reveal that political assortment isn't just due to homophily—people also actively prevent cross-partisan ties by blocking. Using human-like bot accounts, users were 12 times more likely to block counter-partisan accounts in the first study and 4 times more likely in the second versus neutral or copartisan accounts. A survey replication showed blocking often aims to avoid seeing content, with Democrats blocking counter-partisans more due to low-quality or slanted posts. Research conducted by Cameron Martel, Mohsen Mosleh, Qi Yang, Tauhid Zaman, and David G. Rand.
Related Publications
Explore these studies to deepen your understanding
Adjacent work that informs or extends this paper's methodology and findings.
Political Science
The role of bot squads in the political propaganda on Twitter
G. Caldarelli, R. D. Nicola, et al.
Political Science
Political polarization of news media and influencers on Twitter in the 2016 and 2020 US presidential elections
J. Flamino, A. Galeazzi, et al.
Social Work
A perspective from Turkey on construction of the new digital world: analysis of emotions and future expectations regarding Metaverse on Twitter
E. Hasgül, M. Karataş, et al.
Environmental Studies and Forestry
The effect of a political crisis on performance of community forests and protected areas in Madagascar
R. A. Neugarten, R. A. Rasolofoson, et al.
