Study: Could social media be making people more narrow-minded?
The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researchers say users tend to select and share content of a specific narrative and ignore the rest.
Initially, researchers were studying two types of content: conspiracy theories and scientific information; however, health experts say this could apply to other shared items on social media like politics.
Dr. Samantha Scott, a psychologist in Salisbury, says if you are passionate on certain items, it's still important to keep an open mind. She also recommends thinking twice about language before posting.
"It's very important to think ahead about what you are posting even if you are just sharing. A lot of people are going to have some kind of response and their responses or the potential responses you might get are going to be tied to your name," explains Dr. Scott.
Experts also add human beings are all subject to confirmation bias, or the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation for someone's existing beliefs or theories, on some level.
For this reason, they say fact checking before posting is also important.
