Manrique PD, Huo FY, El Oud S, Zheng M, Illari L, Johnson NF. Shockwavelike Behavior across Social Media.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2023;
130:237401. [PMID:
37354390 DOI:
10.1103/physrevlett.130.237401]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
Online communities featuring "anti-X" hate and extremism, somehow thrive online despite moderator pressure. We present a first-principles theory of their dynamics, which accounts for the fact that the online population comprises diverse individuals and evolves in time. The resulting equation represents a novel generalization of nonlinear fluid physics and explains the observed behavior across scales. Its shockwavelike solutions explain how, why, and when such activity rises from "out-of-nowhere," and show how it can be delayed, reshaped, and even prevented by adjusting the online collective chemistry. This theory and findings should also be applicable to anti-X activity in next-generation ecosystems featuring blockchain platforms and Metaverses.
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