NYU's Center for Social Media and Politics
@csmapnyu.org
We work to strengthen democracy by conducting rigorous research, advancing evidence-based public policy, and training the next generation of scholars.
https://csmapnyu.org/links
https://csmapnyu.org/links
We also tested a popular media literacy intervention — “tips to spot false news” — that has been used by platforms like Facebook. While the intervention reduced belief in stories overall, it lowered belief in both true and false stories equally, producing no net gain in discernment. 👇👇
November 14, 2025 at 9:20 PM
We also tested a popular media literacy intervention — “tips to spot false news” — that has been used by platforms like Facebook. While the intervention reduced belief in stories overall, it lowered belief in both true and false stories equally, producing no net gain in discernment. 👇👇
The results were striking. Ukrainian-preferring respondents were less likely to believe both true and false stories when written in Russian. By contrast, Russian-preferring respondents sometimes showed greater belief in false stories when those same stories appeared in Ukrainian.
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November 14, 2025 at 9:20 PM
The results were striking. Ukrainian-preferring respondents were less likely to believe both true and false stories when written in Russian. By contrast, Russian-preferring respondents sometimes showed greater belief in false stories when those same stories appeared in Ukrainian.
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Participants were randomly assigned to read stories in their preferred language or their less-preferred language, within days of publication. 👇👇
November 14, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Participants were randomly assigned to read stories in their preferred language or their less-preferred language, within days of publication. 👇👇
These findings have a key nuance: heavy WhatsApp users—those who frequently receive political content—did improve in spotting falsehoods, while others did not.
This suggests that information interventions may have unequal impacts across subgroups, depending on baseline exposure.
This suggests that information interventions may have unequal impacts across subgroups, depending on baseline exposure.
July 17, 2025 at 2:51 PM
These findings have a key nuance: heavy WhatsApp users—those who frequently receive political content—did improve in spotting falsehoods, while others did not.
This suggests that information interventions may have unequal impacts across subgroups, depending on baseline exposure.
This suggests that information interventions may have unequal impacts across subgroups, depending on baseline exposure.
These findings are consistent with the “minimal effects” theory: the misinformation reduction did not translate to user belief accuracy and polarization changes.
Although users saw less false content, their attitudes stayed the same.
Although users saw less false content, their attitudes stayed the same.
July 17, 2025 at 2:51 PM
These findings are consistent with the “minimal effects” theory: the misinformation reduction did not translate to user belief accuracy and polarization changes.
Although users saw less false content, their attitudes stayed the same.
Although users saw less false content, their attitudes stayed the same.
Overall, the recall of misinformation dropped sharply.
Participants were 40% less likely to remember false headlines, a significantly larger reduction than the decline in recall of true news.
Participants were 40% less likely to remember false headlines, a significantly larger reduction than the decline in recall of true news.
July 17, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Overall, the recall of misinformation dropped sharply.
Participants were 40% less likely to remember false headlines, a significantly larger reduction than the decline in recall of true news.
Participants were 40% less likely to remember false headlines, a significantly larger reduction than the decline in recall of true news.
Our design recruited 773 WhatsApp users before the 2022 election. The treatment group (N≈400) turned off all auto-downloads (videos, images, audio, & docs) for 3 weeks, while the control group kept their usual settings. We also verified compliance weekly via storage screenshots.
July 17, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Our design recruited 773 WhatsApp users before the 2022 election. The treatment group (N≈400) turned off all auto-downloads (videos, images, audio, & docs) for 3 weeks, while the control group kept their usual settings. We also verified compliance weekly via storage screenshots.
In the Global South, WhatsApp is more popular than X or Facebook.
New in @The_JOP, we ran a WhatsApp deactivation experiment during Brazil’s 2022 election to explore how the app facilitates the spread of misinformation and affects voters’ attitudes.
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...
New in @The_JOP, we ran a WhatsApp deactivation experiment during Brazil’s 2022 election to explore how the app facilitates the spread of misinformation and affects voters’ attitudes.
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...
July 17, 2025 at 2:51 PM
In the Global South, WhatsApp is more popular than X or Facebook.
New in @The_JOP, we ran a WhatsApp deactivation experiment during Brazil’s 2022 election to explore how the app facilitates the spread of misinformation and affects voters’ attitudes.
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...
New in @The_JOP, we ran a WhatsApp deactivation experiment during Brazil’s 2022 election to explore how the app facilitates the spread of misinformation and affects voters’ attitudes.
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...
Overall, our findings challenge the narrative that state politics has become entirely nationalized. While national influence is certainly present, local voices still significantly shape state policy agendas.
Here's a summary of our four main findings:
Here's a summary of our four main findings:
April 21, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Overall, our findings challenge the narrative that state politics has become entirely nationalized. While national influence is certainly present, local voices still significantly shape state policy agendas.
Here's a summary of our four main findings:
Here's a summary of our four main findings:
Amid growing DC gridlock, state legislatures play a vital role in shaping policy. But how do state lawmakers decide which issues deserve their attention? Our new @thejop.bsky.social paper is the first large-scale multi-state analysis exploring this question
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
April 21, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Amid growing DC gridlock, state legislatures play a vital role in shaping policy. But how do state lawmakers decide which issues deserve their attention? Our new @thejop.bsky.social paper is the first large-scale multi-state analysis exploring this question
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
🚨 Job Alert! 🚨
Come join our team studying the impact of digital media on democracy!
We're hiring a Technical Lead - Research Engineering to help us build and maintain the robust data infrastructure and custom tools that power our research.
More info + apply:
apply.interfolio.com/165833
Come join our team studying the impact of digital media on democracy!
We're hiring a Technical Lead - Research Engineering to help us build and maintain the robust data infrastructure and custom tools that power our research.
More info + apply:
apply.interfolio.com/165833
April 7, 2025 at 6:12 PM
🚨 Job Alert! 🚨
Come join our team studying the impact of digital media on democracy!
We're hiring a Technical Lead - Research Engineering to help us build and maintain the robust data infrastructure and custom tools that power our research.
More info + apply:
apply.interfolio.com/165833
Come join our team studying the impact of digital media on democracy!
We're hiring a Technical Lead - Research Engineering to help us build and maintain the robust data infrastructure and custom tools that power our research.
More info + apply:
apply.interfolio.com/165833
2) Those safe-seat incumbents of both parties who moved toward the extreme in the pre-primary period became more moderate after the primary than did those candidates who showed no such ideological movement.
March 17, 2025 at 2:12 PM
2) Those safe-seat incumbents of both parties who moved toward the extreme in the pre-primary period became more moderate after the primary than did those candidates who showed no such ideological movement.
The results yielded two main findings:
1) When confronted w/well-funded primary challenger, both D & R incumbents in safe seats moved toward the ideological extremes before their primaries. Competitive seat incumbents, and those without a well-funded challenger, did not.
1) When confronted w/well-funded primary challenger, both D & R incumbents in safe seats moved toward the ideological extremes before their primaries. Competitive seat incumbents, and those without a well-funded challenger, did not.
March 17, 2025 at 2:12 PM
The results yielded two main findings:
1) When confronted w/well-funded primary challenger, both D & R incumbents in safe seats moved toward the ideological extremes before their primaries. Competitive seat incumbents, and those without a well-funded challenger, did not.
1) When confronted w/well-funded primary challenger, both D & R incumbents in safe seats moved toward the ideological extremes before their primaries. Competitive seat incumbents, and those without a well-funded challenger, did not.
It's well known that politicians take more extreme positions during primaries. In @electoralstudies.bsky.social, we find this shift is much more likely when incumbents in safe seats face a well-funded primary challenger.
🧵👇
authors.elsevier.com/a/1kn5KxRaZn...
🧵👇
authors.elsevier.com/a/1kn5KxRaZn...
March 17, 2025 at 2:12 PM
It's well known that politicians take more extreme positions during primaries. In @electoralstudies.bsky.social, we find this shift is much more likely when incumbents in safe seats face a well-funded primary challenger.
🧵👇
authors.elsevier.com/a/1kn5KxRaZn...
🧵👇
authors.elsevier.com/a/1kn5KxRaZn...
A helpful summary from @markcoddington.bsky.social and @sethclewis.bsky.social latest newsletter
rq1.substack.com/p/how-gender...
rq1.substack.com/p/how-gender...
February 19, 2025 at 6:24 PM
A helpful summary from @markcoddington.bsky.social and @sethclewis.bsky.social latest newsletter
rq1.substack.com/p/how-gender...
rq1.substack.com/p/how-gender...
As journalists increase their use of AI, how will that impact trust in news? This study finds labeling news with AI-written content decreased trust among readers, and the effect was most pronounced among those with higher pre-existing trust in news.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
February 19, 2025 at 6:24 PM
As journalists increase their use of AI, how will that impact trust in news? This study finds labeling news with AI-written content decreased trust among readers, and the effect was most pronounced among those with higher pre-existing trust in news.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
3) Latinos who rely on Spanish-language news on social media (relative to those who use English news) are more likely to believe in election fraud narratives about the 2020 presidential election.
February 4, 2025 at 2:59 PM
3) Latinos who rely on Spanish-language news on social media (relative to those who use English news) are more likely to believe in election fraud narratives about the 2020 presidential election.
2) Latinos were more likely than whites (53 percent to 32 percent) to turn to social media for information about Covid-19.
February 4, 2025 at 2:59 PM
2) Latinos were more likely than whites (53 percent to 32 percent) to turn to social media for information about Covid-19.
The research yielded three main findings:
1) Latino online political activity, such as sharing news and discussing politics, is on par with white Americans, with one notable exception: Latinos were much more likely to use WhatsApp than whites (57% to 15%).
1) Latino online political activity, such as sharing news and discussing politics, is on par with white Americans, with one notable exception: Latinos were much more likely to use WhatsApp than whites (57% to 15%).
February 4, 2025 at 2:59 PM
The research yielded three main findings:
1) Latino online political activity, such as sharing news and discussing politics, is on par with white Americans, with one notable exception: Latinos were much more likely to use WhatsApp than whites (57% to 15%).
1) Latino online political activity, such as sharing news and discussing politics, is on par with white Americans, with one notable exception: Latinos were much more likely to use WhatsApp than whites (57% to 15%).
New at Political Research Quarterly: Our latest study analyzing Latino political engagement & activity on social media, from Marisa Abrajano & Marianna Garcia from @ucsandiego.bsky.social, and Aaron Pope, @robertvidigal.bsky.social, Edwin Kamau, @jatucker.bsky.social, & Jonathan Nagler of CSMaP.
February 4, 2025 at 2:59 PM
New at Political Research Quarterly: Our latest study analyzing Latino political engagement & activity on social media, from Marisa Abrajano & Marianna Garcia from @ucsandiego.bsky.social, and Aaron Pope, @robertvidigal.bsky.social, Edwin Kamau, @jatucker.bsky.social, & Jonathan Nagler of CSMaP.
This legislative surge was powered by increasing single-party control of state governments (called "trifectas"), which helps them enact new laws more quickly. In 2024, 40 states had trifectas, the most in at least three decades, accounting for 89 percent of tech laws passed.
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December 12, 2024 at 2:58 PM
This legislative surge was powered by increasing single-party control of state governments (called "trifectas"), which helps them enact new laws more quickly. In 2024, 40 states had trifectas, the most in at least three decades, accounting for 89 percent of tech laws passed.
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The report is the third in a series first launched by CTP in 2022. This year, we tracked eight policy areas: AI, child online safety, privacy, crypto, data centers, antitrust, content moderation, & taxation. Overall, 238 bills passed in 46 states (and the remaining 4 didn't meet this year)
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December 12, 2024 at 2:58 PM
The report is the third in a series first launched by CTP in 2022. This year, we tracked eight policy areas: AI, child online safety, privacy, crypto, data centers, antitrust, content moderation, & taxation. Overall, 238 bills passed in 46 states (and the remaining 4 didn't meet this year)
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Social networks, search engines, & streaming platforms are all deprioritizing news. Amid this fragmented online landscape, politicians will need to work harder to reach voters where they are in the information ecosystem, @jatucker.bsky.social tells @economist.com
www.economist.com/united-state...
December 2, 2024 at 4:12 PM
Social networks, search engines, & streaming platforms are all deprioritizing news. Amid this fragmented online landscape, politicians will need to work harder to reach voters where they are in the information ecosystem, @jatucker.bsky.social tells @economist.com
www.economist.com/united-state...
2) Latinos who use Spanish-language social media for news were 11-20 % points more likely to believe false political narratives than those who consume English-language content. Results statistically significant for 6/7 false narratives & held when controlling for primary language spoken at home
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November 19, 2024 at 4:00 PM
2) Latinos who use Spanish-language social media for news were 11-20 % points more likely to believe false political narratives than those who consume English-language content. Results statistically significant for 6/7 false narratives & held when controlling for primary language spoken at home
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