There’s a name for why social media posts about the election are so toxic

Have you ever found yourself outraged on social media by political posts about the U.S. election—and before you know it, you’re clicking or commenting in disagreement? Well, there’s a name for that.

A new study from Tulane University has found that contrary to popular belief, political outrage actually fuels social media engagement.

While we typically prefer to engage with information that is consistent with our current beliefs (and avoid information that isn’t), researchers found online users can become relatively more engaged with posts that clash with their ideology. They’re calling it the “confrontation effect.”

“The research helps explain the large amount of toxic discourse we observe online,” said the study’s lead author Daniel Mochon, associate professor of marketing at Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business. “Our results reveal that individuals are strongly driven to voice their outrage toward those with whom they disagree.”

Mochon also added that platforms “benefit from keeping users active, regardless of whether the interaction is positive or negative.”

The study is based on data from Twitter, Facebook, and online experiments, some during the 2020 U.S. presidential election. For example, researchers exposed over 500,000 Americans to political posts for and against then-president Donald Trump on Facebook. The results: The users were far more likely to click, comment, or react to posts that challenged their beliefs, particularly their deepest core values.

These results are especially timely with just 26 days until the 2024 election, as both candidates and their supporters double down on political rhetoric, hoping to engage and win over voters.