Using Syndemic Theory as a Framework for Understanding and Addressing Polarization and Other Anti-Social Behavior on Social Media

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2025-01-07

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6701

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Abstract

Digital information and communication platforms like social media are implicated in the spread of digital polarization, mis-and dis-information, and other types of antisocial online behavior. These problems are complex and cannot be addressed simply via content-based or platform-design changes; however, if information system scholars and practitioners cannot address them, they threaten the very fabric of democratic communication. In this paper, we adopt an epidemiological and social determinants of health model, drawing on the concept of syndemic from the public health literature. We suggest that problems like polarization, misinformation, or online abuse can be best understood using the framework of information syndemic, and then we demonstrate how this framework is a useful theoretical contribution to enhance the understanding of the relationships between structural and technological issues, misinformation, online antisocial behavior, and polarization.

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From Digital Divide to Digital Equity and Inclusion, democratic communication, misinformation, online anti-social behavior, polarization, syndemic

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10

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Proceedings of the 58th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

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