Topic description and stories

Solidarity drives online virality in a nation under attack, study of Ukrainian social media reveals

01 Oct 2024

While divisive social media posts get more traction in countries such as the US, a new study shows that celebrating national unity is the way to go...

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Emissions and evasions

20 Dec 2023

How Big Oil influences climate conversations on social media.

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The Misinformation Susceptibility Test

29 Jun 2023

New 2-minute test launched; developed using ChatGPT technology and validated by expert panel and series of experiments involving thousands of...

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Rewarding accuracy instead of partisan pandering reduces political divisions over the truth

06 Mar 2023

Researchers argue that the findings hold lessons for social media companies and the “perverse incentives” driving political polarisation online.

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Person using a smartphone

Social media posts around solar geoengineering ‘spill over’ into conspiracy theories

28 Feb 2023

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have analysed more than 800,000 tweets and found that negative emotions expressed about geoengineering...

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People installing a living roof in 2012

COP must reverse rising pessimism over building sector decarbonisation

17 Nov 2022

Social media engagement with climate policy events is vital to reducing building emissions and ensuring environmental justice, research led by...

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Screen shot from Logan Paul's controversial YouTube video filmed in Japan

Fervent fans keep faith with heroes even after ‘immoral acts’, study finds

06 Sep 2022

Analysis of posts from thousands of social media users either side of a scandal – the dramatic fall of YouTube celebrity Logan Paul – shows how hard...

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How to 'inoculate' millions against misinformation on social media

24 Aug 2022

Briefly exposing social media users to tricks behind misinformation boosts awareness of dangerous online falsehoods – even amid intense ‘noise’ of...

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Boy using a smartphone

Scientists find that the impact of social media on wellbeing varies across adolescence

28 Mar 2022

Girls and boys might be more vulnerable to the negative effects of social media use at different times during their adolescence, say an international...

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Electric car

Study finds that social justice and health issues impact electric vehicle uptake

26 Oct 2021

A new study led by the University of Cambridge and based on public attitudes expressed in 36,000 Facebook posts, has found that consumer uptake of...

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Slamming political rivals may be the most effective way to go viral

22 Jun 2021

Study of almost 3 million Facebook and Twitter posts from US media and politicians shows divisive posts dunking on opponents drive engagement on...

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Dr Lucy McDonald at St John’s College, Cambridge

Philosopher’s thumbs-down to social media ‘likes’ gets award thumbs-up from Royal Institute

12 May 2021

The Royal Institute of Philosophy has awarded (jointly) its 2021 essay prize to a University of Cambridge researcher for the first philosophical...

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