Title: Does social media increase racist behavior? An examination of confirmation bias theory - ScienceDirect
Headings: Does social media increase racist behavior? An examination of confirmation bias theory
Technology in Society
Does social media increase racist behavior? An examination of confirmation bias theory
Highlights
Abstract
Keywords
1. Introduction
2. Social media and confirmation bias
3. Methodology
4. Measures
5. Control variables
6. Discussion and conclusion
7. Theoretical and practical implications
8. Limitations and future research
Appendix 1.
References

Content: This proposition is grounded in the theory of confirmation bias. Initially, confirmation bias predicts that human beings have an unconscious propensity to search for, favor, recall, and interpret information in a way that confirms their previous beliefs and hypotheses, while giving disproportionately less attention to alternative possibilities [ 30, 32, 38 ]. Confirmation bias entails an inclination to examine ideas in a one-sided manner, focusing on one possibility and disregarding alternatives, which may ultimately lead to a polarization in beliefs [ 27, 29, 30, 32, 46 ]. Several explanations are suggested for such observed biases in human attribution, including limited human capacity to process information, wishful thinking, and the cost of being wrong [ 26, 32, 38 ]. Others suggest that belief polarization will increase, rather than decrease, when mixed or inconclusive findings are assimilated by opposite viewpoints, as they further increase the gap between the two viewpoints [ 36, 37 ]. In recent years, social media has become an increasingly popular source for information, including information on critical issues and serious topics [ 31, 43, 49 ]. Research suggests that social media plays a crucial role in shaping users' beliefs and how they make individual decisions [ 43, 45 ]. Many psychologists say that the social media can deepen users' preexisting biases, as the personalization and filter algorithms used by social media websites show users what the websites think they want to see but not necessarily what users need to see Refs. [ 7, 21, 40 ]. These filters have the effect of isolating people in information bubbles only partly of their own choosing and the inaccurate beliefs they form as a result may be difficult to correct.