This is a nuanced issue that deserves careful analysis. The Bail et al. (2018) study in PNAS found that exposing people to opposing political views on social media actually increased polarization rather than reducing it, contrary to what we might expect. However, a 2022 study by Levy showed that increased exposure to diverse news sources did reduce misperceptions. So the effects depend on how content is presented and engaged with. Perhaps the solution isn't less social media, but redesigning platforms to promote thoughtful engagement rather than emotional reactions. This could include features that encourage reading full articles before sharing, or highlighting consensus views.

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