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Social Science Research Council The SSRC is an independent, international, nonprofit organization. It fosters innovative research, nurtures new generations of social scientists, deepens how inquiry is practiced within and across disciplines, and mobilizes necessary knowledge on important public issues. Programs SSRC activities span more than 80 countries on 6 continents Fellowships & Prizes Apply for research opportunities across the globe Support the SSRC Contributions fund research and scholarship worldwide Emergent Technologies & Democracy Twitter Editor-at-Large Login Research Topics Algorithms and Automation Credibility and Trust False Narratives and their Contexts Infrastructures and Methodologies Polarization and Political Manipulation Regulation, Policy, & Platform Governance Targeted Disinformation Articles Research Reviews Profiles Citations About Click to search site Search terms 01 02 03 04 05 Literature Review Vicious, Hateful, and Divisive” Partisans: Understanding and Countering Antidemocratic Political Polarization The topic of American political partisanship and polarization has become a staple of both academic research and the political news cycle. A search for the word polarization” in any major newspaper or news magazine turns up dozens of articles, op-eds, and think pieces either decrying the phenomenon or wholeheartedly endorsing it. We see it in family members at the dinner table, in our celebrities on Twitter, and in our politicians on the podium. Definitions may vary by field, by frame, and sometimes by convenience to an argument, but the consensus is this: Political polarization exists, and it’s increasing. Read more 01 02 03 04 05 Essay Series Measuring Media Accuracy In this essay series, scholars probe the affordances and challenges of quantitative studies of media accuracy. Getting a clear sense of how accurate news media are across topics, time, and outlets can not only provide news producers and scholars an assessment of their own work, but can also give a more holistic picture of how (and whether) media consumers obtain the basic facts required for informed democratic citizenship. Read More 01 02 03 04 05 Research Review Image-Based Abuse: A Threat to Privacy, Safety, and Speech Commonly misnamed revenge porn,” image-based abuse is the non-consensual creation and distribution of private images. Much more than one-off” attacks that cause hurt feelings, image-based abuse has become a broad effort to silence and shame people in public spaces. This literature review brings together relevant research from the fields of law, communication, psychology, and public health to explain how image-based abuse has become an ever-present threat to privacy, safety, and speech. Read More 01 02 03 04 05 Analysis and Response Toolkit for Trust: Call for Contributors When a contentious and complicated topic, like vaccine efficacy, arises in online conversations, how can health communicators de-escalate conflict, increase understanding, and build common ground? In a collaboration between Hacks/Hackers’ Analysis and Response Toolkit for Trust (ARTT) project, is calling for scholars in relevant fields to contribute to a interdisciplinary research review on how to improve information exchanges and build trust, both online and off. Read More 01 02 03 04 05 Article Reflecting on the State of Digital Media Data Research Researchers studying digital media data face a host of challenges. In this essay, researcher Josephine Lukito outlines the issues facing the field, including data access, storage, analysis, and ethical concerns, and outlines some recommendations for advancing the field. Read More 01 02 03 04 05 Research Topics More Research Topics Regulation, Policy, & Platform Governance Changes at social media platforms, shifting roles of traditional media, and varying governmental responses all contribute to a chaotic information environment. Infrastructures and Methodologies The field of mis- and disinformation studies is comprised of a range of disciplines that bring different methodological tools to the table, and mis- and disinformation can be found in a range of different media, not just online. This research topic explores the affordances and limits of different methodologies and sources for helping to gain a wider view. Algorithms and Automation Researchers are exploring how disinformation campaigns use bots and automation tools, and how algorithms can encode and reproduce biases and ideologies. Research Reviews More Research Reviews Polarization and Political Manipulation Vicious, Hateful, and Divisive” Partisans: Understanding and Countering Antidemocratic Political Polarization … the most vicious, hateful, and divisive speech ever delivered by an American president, vilifying 75 million citizens… as threats to democracy and as enemies of the state. You’re all […] By Erin Oittinen , Brooke Molokach on July 26, 2023 Algorithms and Automation Algorithms, Automation, and Misinformation Automated devices permeate our lives, from our toasters to Siri. The promise has been that automation and algorithms will make our lives simpler, and help us find the things we want in an increasingly connected world. But we now realize that on social media platforms, algorithms and automation can be used to spread disinformation further and faster. On September 16, 2020 False Narratives and their Contexts Climate Change Denial & Skepticism: A Review of the Literature As the effects of climate change continue to worsen, so does the ideological polarization around this issue which has caused an increase in climate denialism. With the evolution of social media and the internet sharing mis- and disinformation, conspiracy theories, echo chambers, and ideological entrenchment has only furthered disbelief in climate change over the last 50 years. This literature review points to the causes of how climate information has been misused and guides us towards next steps in combatting not only climate change but climate change denial. By Catherine Weddig on September 15, 2022 Articles More Articles Featured Trust Essay Series Trust | Essay Series By Camille Burge-Hicks , Juan Carlos Rodríguez Raga , Karin Wahl-Jorgensen on November 21, 2022 Year in Review: 2023 On December 20, 2023 Measuring Media Accuracy | Essay Series By Stuart Soroka , Christopher Wlezien , Robert Bond , Kasper Welbers , Amber Boydstun , Jill Laufer , Leticia Bode on May 22, 2023 They’re Coming to Take over Our Country”: Researching Global Circuits of Racist Misinformation By Dhiraj Murthy on April 17, 2023 Profiles More Profiles Brooke Molokach PhD Student in Communication | University of Delaware Sophie Maddocks Researcher, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania David Karpf Associate Professor of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University Deana A. Rohlinger Professor of Sociology, Florida State University News Items More News Items Regulation, Policy, & Platform Governance The disinformation war has taken a toll, but researchers feel a shift ahead of 2024 election | NBC News By Brandy Zadrozny, Jason Abbruzzese on March 23, 2024 Algorithms and Automation Infrastructures and Methodologies Let’s not make the same mistakes with AI that we made with social media | MIT Technology Review By Nathan E. Sanders, Bruce Schneier on March 13, 2024 Regulation, Policy, & Platform Governance How to better study—and then improve—today’s corrupted information environment | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists By Sean Norton, Jacob N. Shapiro on March 1, 2024 Upcoming Events More Events Understanding Media Habits & Engaging Latino Communities – CSMaP April 15, 2024 2nd Annual Smart Cities and Generative AI Symposium | Good Systems May 2, 2024 The Research Conference on Communications, Information and Internet Policy | TPRC September 20, 2024 – September 21, 2024 Twitter Mail Mastodon Research Topics Articles Research Reviews Profiles Citations Resources About and Reid Hoffman...