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Does social media increase racist behavior? An examination of confirmation bias theory

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  • Alsaad, Abdallah
  • Taamneh, Abdallah
  • Al-Jedaiah, Mohamad Noor

Abstract

With the increased rate of hate crimes and racist behavior around the world, a growing school of thought draws a connection between social media use and the rise in racist and hateful behavior. A number of psychologists and theorists have attempted to explain this connection. They argue that the deliberate design of social media websites, which uses algorithms to conform to users' currently held thoughts and beliefs, creates polarization and bias among users, pushing them towards preexisting views. While racist behavior is primarily motivated by bias, social media has the potential to foster such bias. However, although under the theory of confirmation bias this assertion appears theoretically sound and justifiable; few studies have attempted to validate it empirically. In this study, we developed a conceptual framework to examine the effect of social media on bias among its users, with a specific focus on religious beliefs. We then examined the influence of religious bias on racist behavior. We tested the proposed model using data from secondary sources. In conclusion, the findings of our regression analysis did not support the proposed hypothesis. In this paper, we present and discuss our findings, along with their implications for research and policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Alsaad, Abdallah & Taamneh, Abdallah & Al-Jedaiah, Mohamad Noor, 2018. "Does social media increase racist behavior? An examination of confirmation bias theory," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 41-46.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:55:y:2018:i:c:p:41-46
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2018.06.002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kaplan, Andreas M. & Haenlein, Michael, 2010. "Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 53(1), pages 59-68, January.
    2. Farfan-Vallespin, Antonio & Bonick, Matthew, 2016. "On the Origins and Consequences of Racism," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145767, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    3. Bonick, Matthew & Farfán-Vallespín, Antonio, 2016. "On the origin and consequences of racism," The Constitutional Economics Network Working Papers 02-2016, University of Freiburg, Department of Economic Policy and Constitutional Economic Theory.
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    1. Abdallah Alsaad, 2018. "The Individualistic View Of Culture And The Nascent Entrepreneurship: An Examination Of Schwartz’S Cultural Values," Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 23(04), pages 1-14, December.
    2. Einav, Gali & Allen, Ofir & Gur, Tamar & Maaravi, Yossi & Ravner, Daniel, 2022. "Bursting filter bubbles in a digital age: Opening minds and reducing opinion polarization through digital platforms," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    3. Muradian, Roldan & Pascual, Unai, 2020. "Ecological economics in the age of fear," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    4. Alsaad, Abdallah & Alam, Md. Moddassir & Lutfi, Abdalwali, 2023. "A sensemaking perspective on the association between social media engagement and pro-environment behavioural intention," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    5. Woods, Stephen & Harris, Megan & Rice, Stephen & Boquet, Albert & Rice, Connor & Rosales, Danielle & Domingo, Cassandra & Bivens, Matthew & Lange, Ryan & Winter, Scott & Crouse, Sean, 2024. "Using social role theory to predict how gender and ethnicity of aviation job candidates affects perceived job classifications," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).

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