Indeed, several platforms have been the subject of polarization studies, from Twitter, to YouTube, to Facebook 4, 5, 6, 7.

This polarization is easy to observe online, and especially on social media, where people share their opinions liberally. Polarization along party lines in the United States is on the rise 2, and 2016 elections have deepen the divide 3. Polarization is a defining feature of contemporary politics 1. Our findings shed light on public opinion formation on social media, calling for a better understanding of the social dynamics at play in this context. Users show a tendency for geographical homophily and a small positive correlation between cross-interactions and voter abstention. Finally, we explore possible socio-demographic implications. Our findings are tested against a null model of random interactions, by using two different approaches: a network rewiring which preserves the activity of nodes, and a logit regression which takes into account possible confounding factors. Beside asymmetric heterophily, users show assortative behavior for activity, and disassortative, asymmetric behavior for popularity. Furthermore, these interactions are asymmetrical: Clinton supporters are particularly eager to answer comments by Trump supporters. We observe a preference for cross-cutting political interactions between the two communities rather than within-group interactions, thus contradicting the echo chamber narrative. We identify Trump vs Clinton supporters and reconstruct their political interaction network.

Here, we investigate their role in the debate around the 2016 US elections on Reddit, a fundamental platform for the success of Donald Trump. Echo chambers in online social networks, whereby users’ beliefs are reinforced by interactions with like-minded peers and insulation from others’ points of view, have been decried as a cause of political polarization.

Reddit would you rather