Shock events shift online behavior to solidarity during 2024 campaign
Positive group emotions drove social media engagement during 2024 campaign crises, reversing typical patterns of hostility.
Why it matters
- Shows how political crises can shift online behavior towards solidarity rather than hostility.
By the numbers
- Over 62,000 posts analyzed.
- Republican solidarity posts saw a 36% increase in engagement before the Trump shooting and a 53% increase after.
- Democratic solidarity posts saw a 91% increase after Biden's withdrawal.
The big picture
- During moments of group threat, online communities may rally around shared identity and support rather than amplifying aggression.
What they're saying
- Unpredictable events can flip usual online trends.
Caveats
- Study's timeline was relatively short.
- Social media behavior may not reflect the general population.
- Data source limited to Facebook and textual content.
What’s next
- Researchers plan a follow-up study with a longer timeline and experimental approaches.