The World Wide Web was meant to unite us, but is tearing us apart instead. Is there another way?

The hope of the World Wide Web, according to its creator Tim Berners-Lee, was that it would make communication easier, bring knowledge to all, and strengthen democracy and connection. Instead, it seems to be driving us apart into increasingly small and angry splinter groups. Why?

- GEORGE BUCHANAN and DANA MCKAY

We have commonly blamed online echo chambers, digital spaces filled with people who largely share the same beliefs — or filter bubbles, the idea that algorithms tend to show us content we are likely to agree with.

However, these concepts have both been challenged by a number of studies. A 2022 study led by one of us (Dana), which tracked the social media behaviors of 10 respondents, found people often engage with content they disagree with — even going so far as to seek it out.

When an individual engages with a disagreeable post on social media — whether it’s “rage bait” or something else that offends you — it drives income for the platform. But on a societal scale, it drives antisocial outcomes.

One of the worst of these outcomes is “affective polarization,” where we like people who think similarly to us, and dislike or resent people who hold different views. Research and global surveys both show this form of polarization is growing across the world.

Changing the economics of social media platforms would likely reduce online polarization. But this won't be possible without intervention from governments, and each of us.