Here's a peek at our new Social Media Research Toolkit, a curated collection of more than 50 social media research tools. This toolkit is unique in that it only features tried and tested tools that have been used in peer-reviewed academic studies. (ETA Jan 5, 2026) #academicsky #comsky
How do German MPs debate wealth taxation on social media?
Although wealth in Germany is distributed very unequally and taxation could address this, the topic rarely features in public debate. This was our starting point for examining politicians’ FB, Insta, and X posts from the past nine years 🧵1/5
I hear a lot about misinformation as a "symptom" of "distrust". Here we test this & find that while trust is important, it doesn't buffer: misinfo isn't mitigated by high trust. Both misinfo & distrust *independently* predict vaccine denial. It's a disease of its own!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
📢 New Publication Alert!
Thrilled to share our latest article with @jasminriedl.bsky.social & Johannes Steup
👉 Topical Negative Campaigning Under Spatial Pressure: Party-Level Strategies for Attacks Across Multiple Issues
🔗 doi.org/10.1080/0964...
Paper abstract: Are some political preferences more costly to express? In this study, we investigate the extent to which individuals face social exclusion for showing far-right political beliefs. We run a field experiment in Madrid where confederates initiate an interaction with random passers-by. We randomize whether the confederate wears a neutral (white) t-shirt or a t-shirt of different parties. Results show that passers-by are more likely to avoid interacting with confederates wearing the t-shirt of a far-right party (Vox). This finding holds both when we compare this condition against the neutral t-shirt one or the ones where confederates wear a t-shirt of other parties. Analyses of heterogeneity show that this effect is particularly strong in a left-wing neigbourhood. These findings contribute to theories about peer pressure and social punishment, providing evidence of how those processes can extend to the expression of different political views. They provide new insights into the micro-level mechanisms that underpin broader political trends, particularly the rapid and sometimes unexpected electoral growth of far-right parties.
I am very excited to share a new working paper coauthored with @amaliaab.bsky.social.
Using a field experiment, we find that, in the real world, it is more costly to express far-right preferences than other political preferences.
osf.io/preprints/os...
1/8
... and cool work btw^^
Love the plots 😊
Interaktive Übersicht über Wählersegmente und Parteibindung bei der #Bundestagswahl2025. Interessant, dass
👉AfD mit Abstand bei Arbeitern und Menschen in schlechter finanzieller Lage zu punkten scheint.
👉 Frauen tendenziell eher links wählen, Männer eher rechts
👇
www.tagesschau.de/inland/bunde...
Wahlwerbung bei Meta für #Bundestagswahl2025.
👉 Deutliche Unterschiede zwischen Parteien hinsichtlich Reichweite/Kosten
👉 9mio+x Ausgaben nur an Meta; effektivität (auch aufgrund mangelnder Transparenz) unklar
👇
www.tagesschau.de/investigativ...
I'm working on a starter pack... its focus is Information Warfare, Covert Ops and Propaganda... trying to fill gaps on existing lists of 'disinfo' experts and bring in a wider sweep of experts on covert ops & information warfare, broadly defined. go.bsky.app/7NTCqKZ
I have updated the starter pack of Europe-based misinformation researchers. Enjoy: go.bsky.app/36RdG8Z
A few papers I think worth reading. Mostly open access.
Causal inference is hard:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
