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The social dilemma of online segregation: A dynamical model of platform choice

Banisch, Sven 1; Jacob, Dennis; Willaert, Tom; Olbrich, Eckehard
1 Institut für Technikzukünfte (ITZ), Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)

Abstract:

To understand how social media shapes online discourse or contributes to polarization, we need models of collective online choice that link users’ behavioral adaptation to the emergence of complex and dynamic digital environments. This study develops a dynamic model of platform selection based on Social Feedback Theory, using multi-agent reinforcement learning to capture how user decisions are shaped by past rewards across platforms. A key parameter (μ) governs whether users seek approval from like-minded peers or exposure to opposing views. Agent-based simulations combined with dynamical-systems analysis reveal a social dilemma: even when users value diversity, collective dynamics can trap online environments in polarized echo chambers that reduce overall user satisfaction. Above a critical diversity threshold, a different equilibrium appears in which one large, integrated platform dominates while smaller platforms persist as extremist niches. In an intermediate regime, the two outcomes coexist, generating path dependence and hysteresis. We further demonstrate how modest, strategically targeted interventions—such as rewarding minority participation—can destabilize polarization and promote integrated discourse. ... mehr


Verlagsausgabe §
DOI: 10.5445/IR/1000191807
Veröffentlicht am 30.03.2026
Cover der Publikation
Zugehörige Institution(en) am KIT Institut für Technikzukünfte (ITZ)
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
Publikationstyp Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Publikationsjahr 2026
Sprache Englisch
Identifikator ISSN: 1043-4631, 1461-7358
KITopen-ID: 1000191807
Erschienen in Rationality and Society
Verlag SAGE Publications
Vorab online veröffentlicht am 24.03.2026
Nachgewiesen in Web of Science
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