IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/nathum/v9y2025i3d10.1038_s41562-025-02102-y.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A research agenda for encouraging prosocial behaviour on social media

Author

Listed:
  • Timothy Dörr

    (University of Pennsylvania)

  • Trisha Nagpal

    (University of Pennsylvania)

  • Duncan Watts

    (University of Pennsylvania
    University of Pennsylvania
    University of Pennsylvania)

  • Chris Bail

    (Duke University
    Duke University)

Abstract

Many studies examine antisocial behaviours on social media—such as sharing misinformation or producing hate speech—but far fewer examine how platforms can incentivize more prosocial behaviour. We identify several ways in which social media platforms currently enable such behaviour, including (1) connecting new communities, (2) enabling collective problem-solving and (3) expanding the boundaries of philanthropy. However, we also discuss how some of the factors that enable prosocial behaviour can also empower malicious actors—as well as the challenge of creating prosocial behaviour that is sustainable and impactful offline. We then propose a research agenda to help scholars, policymakers and corporate leaders to identify the causal factors that shape prosocial behaviour on social media. This agenda focuses on (1) the size and shape of social networks, (2) platform affordances, (3) social norms and (4) how prosocial behaviour can be embedded within existing and future business models of social media.

Suggested Citation

  • Timothy Dörr & Trisha Nagpal & Duncan Watts & Chris Bail, 2025. "A research agenda for encouraging prosocial behaviour on social media," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 9(3), pages 441-449, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nathum:v:9:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1038_s41562-025-02102-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41562-025-02102-y
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-025-02102-y
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41562-025-02102-y?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:nathum:v:9:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1038_s41562-025-02102-y. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.