Why do we share information on social media ?

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What pushes people to share one piece of information rather than another on social networks? This question has tormented many researchers for many years. It is also important from a democratic point of view given the importance taken by the Internet in public debate.

Beliefs play a major role

A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports has rightly looked into the subject. Its author, researcher Jacob T. Goebel of Ohio State University, and his colleagues analyzed data from X (formerly Twitter) to observe the behavior of users confronted with various facts.

Overall and to summarize, they noticed that publications published right after an event are shared much more. They spread among circles of people sharing the same political opinions. Clearly, the novelty aspect plays a role, but above all it must fit with the Internet user's beliefs and this is what is essential in the decision to share information.

Note that this study also made it possible to simulate the activity of a media editorial team (journalists also play an important role in this context) and that it is very interesting to read. We let you read it in more detail by clicking on the following link.

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The good faith of Internet users

Regardless, this research differs from the findings of other scientific studies. In 2021, we also told you about work carried out by MIT. These researchers carried out experiments on 5,000 people residing in the United States. It appears that among users who shared false information, 50% did so out of carelessness. 33% were mistaken in thinking it was real news. Finally, 16% knew it was fake news but shared it on purpose.

Ziv Epstein, one of the authors, explained then  ;: « Our results suggest that, in general, people do the best they can to disseminate accurate information. But the current design of social media environments, which can prioritize user engagement and retention over accuracy, works against them. » You can always re-read our article to learn more here.

What you need to remember:

• Researchers wonder why Internet users share certain information en masse and no others
• Opinions and ideology play a major role
• Internet users, however, seem to make their best to share reliable news

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