Social networks, intended to bring people together, can actually increase polarization, new research finds, because while the links in the network may be plentiful, they’re probably weak. A research team including Cornell sociologist Michael Macy has found that while the growing number of international contacts enabled by modern communications technologies may indeed contribute to greater polarization, as shown in previous studies, the underlying mechanism does not necessarily depend on an increase in close friendships. Instead, weaker social ties appear to play a more significant role, as they are more likely to foster hierarchical structures shaped by social status.
More connections can deepen polarization when social ties remain weak
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Droughts have an immediate negative impact on agricultural production, but they can also trigger institutional and cultural transformations that help make societies more resilient to environmental crises. This is the main conclusion of the article [...]
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Recent U.S. Supreme Court terms have seen justices openly accuse one another of rewriting statutes, ignoring precedent and substituting policy preferences for law. Whether in disputes over presidential immunity, administrative power, nationwide injunctions or transgender [...]
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A new paper published in Global Strategy Journal develops a geopolitical-economic order framework suggesting that the extent of geopolitical competition incentivizes states to create one of two types of economic order: a market-based order built [...]
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Bigamy has been a rare crime during the past 400 years—and offenders have been harshly punished. It seems likely that no more than 30,000 individuals have ever been tried for bigamy in England and Wales [...]
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As generative artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used in translation, questions have been raised about whether it could eventually replace professional interpreters. A joint study led by Lingnan University found that while AI can improve [...]
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Increases to the standard federal tax deduction implemented in 2018 were made permanent a year ago, and researchers are beginning to understand the downstream effects on state and local governments. The increased deduction meant many [...]
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Flying abroad for a summer vacation is not as simple as it used to be. Geopolitical uncertainty has already disrupted flight schedules and fuel prices this year. For many, staying closer to home will seem [...]
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A new study by University of Delaware professor Jarett Haley and others explored how racially minoritized graduate students understood the impacts of proposed or enacted state anti–diversity, equity and inclusion (anti-DEI) laws on their experiences [...]
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“Guardrails” built by the EU to govern AI fall short in both ambition and execution and have become too heavy to absorb rapid changes in technology, a new study in Big Data & Society warns.This [...]
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It is no surprise that there are political disagreements over climate protection measures. Parties differ in their assessments of which measures they consider effective, fair or economically acceptable. However, the question of whether climate change [...]
