A new study by Annenberg School for Communication doctoral student Timothy Dörr explores how social media can encourage good behavior online.
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In an era where online interactions can be both motivational and toxic, researchers from Penn’s Computational Social Science Lab (CSSLab) are interested in what encourages prosocial behavior—acts of kindness, support, and cooperation—on social media.
In a new paper in Nature Human Behavior, CSSLab member Timothy Dörr, a doctoral student at the Annenberg School for Communication, along with lab director, Annenberg professor and Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor Duncan Watts and coauthors, outlines a research plan to help scholars, policymakers, and corporate leaders identify factors that shape prosocial behavior on social media. They range from encouraging charitable giving to fostering neighborhood connections.
“Social media has the power to bring people together, but it can also drive division,” says Dörr. “While early proponents believed social media would naturally encourage connection and empowerment, we’ve learned that platforms can benefit from intentional design.” He added that by understanding what motivates users to engage constructively, social media environments can be designed that truly benefit society.
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