A Confirmation Bias View on Social Media Induced Polarisation During Covid-19

Sachin Modgil, Rohit Kumar Singh, Shivam Gupta and Denis Dennehy ()
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Sachin Modgil: International Management Institute (IMI) Kolkata
Rohit Kumar Singh: International Management Institute (IMI) Kolkata
Shivam Gupta: NEOMA Business School
Denis Dennehy: National University of Ireland Galway

Information Systems Frontiers, 2024, vol. 26, issue 2, No 4, 417-441

Abstract: Abstract Social media has played a pivotal role in polarising views on politics, climate change, and more recently, the Covid-19 pandemic. Social media induced polarisation (SMIP) poses serious challenges to society as it could enable ‘digital wildfires’ that can wreak havoc worldwide. While the effects of SMIP have been extensively studied, there is limited understanding of the interplay between two key components of this phenomenon: confirmation bias (reinforcing one’s attitudes and beliefs) and echo chambers (i.e., hear their own voice). This paper addresses this knowledge deficit by exploring how manifestations of confirmation bias contributed to the development of ‘echo chambers’ at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thematic analysis of data collected from 35 participants involved in supply chain information processing forms the basis of a conceptual model of SMIP and four key cross-cutting propositions emerging from the data that have implications for research and practice.

Keywords: Echo Chambers; Social Media Induced Polarisation; Confirmation Bias; Covid-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s10796-021-10222-9

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