'Diversifying' social feeds can cut exposure to toxic content and preserve enjoyment

Phys · 🇺🇸 public United States · May 28, 2026 · 836 words · By Shanice Harris

Social Media Toxicity Algorithmic Amplification Political polarization

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What to know about Social Media Toxicity

The article reports on a study by Northwestern University and the University of Chicago published in Nature regarding social media algorithms. The research suggests that engagement-based algorithms amplify toxic political content and moral outrage, while a 'diversified extremity' algorithm can reduce such content without negatively impacting user experience.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 14

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Right coverage

Left14%

Center86%

Right0%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

'Diversifying' social feeds can cut exposure to toxic content and preserve enjoyment Lisa Lock Scientific Editor Robert Egan Associate Editor A new study from Northwestern University and the University of Chicago offers underlying evidence that the…

Why it matters

The study, published in Nature, was led by William Brady, assistant professor of Management and Organizations at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.

Common ground

On Bluesky Social over the eight weeks surrounding the 2024 U.S.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Social Media Toxicity story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that It reduced the accuracy of users' perceptions of social norms about toxic political dialogue?
How does this story connect Social Media Toxicity with Algorithmic Amplification over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-diversifying-social-exposure-toxic-content.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

schedule Pending 4

verified Verified 2

verified Verified By Reference 2

help Insufficient Evidence 1

verified

Claim 1: “It reduced the accuracy of users' perceptions of social norms about toxic political dialogue”

VERIFIED

The Nature Portfolio summary confirms that engagement-based feeds 'reduced norm-perception accuracy,' which aligns with the claim that it reduced the accuracy of perceptions about social norms of toxic dialogue.

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Claim 2: “William J. Brady et al, Redesigning algorithms to intervene on social norm misperceptions during a national election, Nature (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10536-1”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 3: “The researchers recruited 2,000 U.S. citizens who identified as Democrats or Republicans and were active Bluesky users during the 2024 presidential election.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While the study's existence is confirmed, the specific detail about recruiting 2,000 U.S. citizens identifying as Democrats or Republicans on Bluesky is not explicitly detailed in the provided evidence snippets.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Michigan gubernatorial election will be on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Michigan. Incumbent Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer is ineligible to seek re-election to a third ter…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Michigan_gubernatorial_el…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 United States Senate election in Maine will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Maine. Republican incumbent Susan Collins is s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_Senate_elec…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in the United States on November 7, 2028, to elect the president and vice president for a term of four years. In the 2024 elections, then-former preside…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2028_United_States_presidentia…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “The largest amplifications were in moral outrage and political content, which increased by roughly 37% before the election and nearly 80% after it, relative to the reverse-chronological baseline.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources (Phys.org and another research summary) provide the exact figures: roughly 37% increase before the election and nearly 80% after the election for moral outrage and political content.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 28, 2026 · The largest amplifications were in moral outrage and political content, which increased by roughly 37% before the 2024 election and nearly 80% ...
https://www.ipr.northwestern.edu/news/2026/detox-for-social-…

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web search NEUTRAL — May 28, 2026 · The largest amplifications were in moral outrage and political content, which increased by roughly 37% before the election and nearly 80% after ...
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-diversifying-social-exposure-t…

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web search NEUTRAL — Simultaneously, instructional language increased from 1.13% to 3.08%, nearly tripling relative to baseline, a 172% increase ( d = 1.10 d=1.10 , p < .001 p<.001 ) ...
https://arxiv.org/html/2602.17674v1

help

Claim 5: “the engagement-based feed did not significantly change participants' own posting, liking or sharing behavior compared with the other conditions.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

The provided evidence does not mention whether the feed changed the participants' own posting, liking, or sharing behavior.

schedule

Claim 6: “the diversified extremity algorithm consistently reduced exposure to toxic and morally outraged content relative to the engagement-based feed”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 7: “The team analyzed roughly 20 million posts over two months”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence provided mentions '20 million posts' in the context of Discord and extremist chatrooms, not the Bluesky study. No evidence in the provided text confirms the 20 million post count for the Northwestern/UChicago Bluesky study.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Twenty or 20 may refer to: 20 (number), the natural number following 19 and preceding 21 one of the years 20 BC, AD 20, 1920, 2020
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — MD 20/20 is a discount flavored fortified wine produced by Mogen David. 20/20 originally referred to 20% ABV and a 20 oz bottle. It is commonly referred to by the nickname "Mad Dog". The wine is produ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MD_20/20

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 20/20 Experience is the third studio album by American singer Justin Timberlake. It was released on March 19, 2013, by RCA Records, as the follow-up to his second album, FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_20/20_Experience

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 8: “The engagement-based feed also significantly increased perceptions of partisan animosity.”

VERIFIED

A summary of the Nature Portfolio paper explicitly states that engagement-based feeds raised perceived partisan animosity, especially after the election.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engagement

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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 4, 2026 · The meaning of ENGAGEMENT is an arrangement to meet or be present at a specified time and place. How to use engagement in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/engagement

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web search NEUTRAL — ENGAGEMENT definition: 1. an agreement to marry someone: 2. an arrangement to meet someone or do something at a…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/engageme…

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Claim 9: “On Bluesky Social over the eight weeks surrounding the 2024 U.S. presidential election, researchers found that engagement-based algorithms systematically amplified contentious content”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (Phys.org and others) explicitly link the study's findings regarding engagement-based algorithms amplifying contentious content to research conducted on Bluesky Social around the 2024 U.S. election.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Bluesky (abbreviated as Bsky) is an American microblogging social media service. Users can share short posts containing text, images, and videos. It is owned by Bluesky Social PBC, a benefit corporati…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluesky

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Social media are new media technologies that facilitate the creation, sharing and aggregation of content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongst virtual communities and netwo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — X, formerly known as Twitter, is an American microblogging and social networking service, headquartered in Bastrop, Texas. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-v…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_(social_network)

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “Users in the diversified condition reported greater overall enjoyment of Bluesky as a platform after the election, compared with users on the engagement-based algorithm.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 11: “A new study from Northwestern University and the University of Chicago offers underlying evidence that the engagement-based algorithms used by major social media platforms amplify intergroup, moralized, emotional (IME) and toxic political content”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (Northwestern Now, Phys.org, and another research summary) confirm that a study from Northwestern and the University of Chicago found engagement-based algorithms amplify IME and toxic political content.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Northwestern University (NU) is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851, it is the oldest chartered university in Illinois. Northwestern was initially a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwestern_University

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, UChi, or U of C) is a private research university in the Hyde Park community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The university is composed of an un…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Chicago

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in the Near West Side community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The university was the second institution established…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Illinois_Chicago

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 12: “The study, published in Nature, was led by William Brady, assistant professor of Management and Organizations at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results from Northwestern University and other academic summaries identify William Brady as the lead author and assistant professor at Kellogg School of Management, and mention the study's publication in Nature.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Daniel Shor (born November 16, 1956) is an American actor, director, writer, and acting teacher with a career spanning over 40 years. His most recognized roles include Enoch Emery in John Huston's Wis…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Shor

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This list of Northwestern University alumni includes notable graduates and non-graduate former students of Northwestern University, located in Evanston, Illinois.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Northwestern_Universit…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Robert Todd Lincoln (August 1, 1843 – July 26, 1926) was an American lawyer and businessman. He was the eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln and First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln and the only one of the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Todd_Lincoln

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 13: “Bluesky has a left-leaning user base”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 14: “Compared with the reverse-chronological control, the engagement-based feed amplified IME and toxic political content—with effects that grew larger after the election.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (Phys.org and a Nature Portfolio summary) confirm that engagement-based feeds amplified IME and toxic content compared to reverse-chronological feeds, with effects increasing after the election.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Compared with the reverse-chronological control, the engagement-based feed amplified IME and toxic political content—with effects that grew larger after the election.
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-diversifying-social-exposure-t…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Such content increased after the election.The engagement-based algorithm showed moral outrage posts 11 percentage points more than the chronological feed post-election. This suggests that anger and cr…
https://www.chosun.com/english/industry-en/2026/05/28/OETFSV…

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web search NEUTRAL — Second: engagement-based feeds raised perceived partisan animosity (especially after the election) and reduced norm-perception accuracy. The surprising part — people actually underestimated how accept…
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/william-brady-28a26621a_new-p…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.