Abstract
Online communities featuring “anti-X” hate and extremism, somehow thrive online despite moderator pressure. We present a first-principles theory of their dynamics, which accounts for the fact that the online population comprises diverse individuals and evolves in time. The resulting equation represents a novel generalization of nonlinear fluid physics and explains the observed behavior across scales. Its shockwavelike solutions explain how, why, and when such activity rises from “out-of-nowhere,” and show how it can be delayed, reshaped, and even prevented by adjusting the online collective chemistry. This theory and findings should also be applicable to anti-X activity in next-generation ecosystems featuring blockchain platforms and Metaverses.
- Received 25 October 2022
- Revised 30 January 2023
- Accepted 28 March 2023
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.237401
© 2023 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Viewpoint
A New Science for Describing Unhealthy Online Environments
Published 5 June 2023
A theory derived from nonlinear fluid dynamics is able to reproduce the formation dynamics of online hate communities—offering insights that could inform public policies.
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