The Ohio State University C-SPAM: Collaborative on the Science of Polarization and Misinformation
October 2026
October 2026
In this issue
1: Is social media really the problem?
Social media is often blamed for spreading falsehoods and distorting beliefs. Two recent studies push back on that story, finding that social media use has surprisingly little effect on belief in…
2: Seeing division makes it worse
Partisans sometimes see conflict where it doesn’t exist and assume the other side is more different than in reality. These recent studies show how perceived differences can fuel partisan divides, and…
3: Polarization follows predicable social patterns
Polarization isn’t just a matter of individual beliefs — it also emerges from how we interact and form relationships. By looking at how social networks form and how groups talk to each other at scale…