Toxic Content and User Engagement on Social Media: Evidence from a Field Experiment

George Beknazar-Yuzbashev, Jiménez-Durán, Rafael, Jesse McCrosky and Mateusz Stalinski
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George Beknazar-Yuzbashev: Columbia University
Jiménez-Durán, Rafael: Bocconi University
Jesse McCrosky: IGIER, Chicago Booth Stigler Center, and CESifo
Mateusz Stalinski: University of Warwick and CAGE

CAGE Online Working Paper Series from Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE)

Abstract: Most social media users have encountered harassment online, but there is scarce evidence of how this type of toxic content impacts engagement. In a pre-registered browser extension field experiment, we randomly hid toxic content for six weeks on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Lowering exposure to toxicity reduced advertising impressions, time spent, and other measures of engagement, and reduced the toxicity of user-generated content. A survey experiment provides evidence that toxicity triggers curiosity and that engagement and welfare are not necessarily aligned. Taken together, our results suggest that platforms face a trade-off between curbing toxicity and increasing engagement.

Keywords: toxic content; moderation; social media; user engagement; browser experiment JEL Classification: C93; D12; D83; D90; I31; L82; L86; M37; Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp and nep-pay
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