In a time of increasing political and social division across the United States, new research from the Center for Media Engagement finds that small changes in the way we communicate online may help improve the quality of conversations.

The study explores the role of “connective language” — phrases expressing openness and humility, such as “correct me if I’m wrong” or “this is just my opinion” — in political posts on social media platforms.

Study set-up

Participants were shown a Facebook post expressing a political opinion. Half of the posts used connective language that expressed openness and humility, and the other half did not.

To explore how people respond to different perspectives, one-third of the participants saw a post aligned with their political beliefs, one-third saw a post that opposed their beliefs, and one-third saw a neutral post.

Findings

An important takeaway is that participants felt reading a connective post about politics was more enjoyable than a non-connective post, especially if the content aligned with their beliefs. People also spent more time on the page when shown a connective political post but they weren’t more likely to engage with it (e.g., like or reply to it).

Reading a connective post led to fewer emotions, whether positive or negative, compared to a non-connective post. People felt less manipulated by a connective post and were less likely to argue against the message. This is notable given that online political conversations are often emotionally charged and can turn ugly quickly.

While the findings revealed connective posts can improve the experience of reading political content, they may not be enough to bridge ideological divides. Connective posts did not affect how politically polarised readers perceived like-minded or opposing partisans to be. It also did not affect how people felt toward others with similar or opposing political beliefs.

What it means

The findings offer helpful takeaways for both individuals and platforms: Social media users can incorporate connective language into their posts to foster better conversations and online experiences. Also, platforms can take steps to highlight this kind of content more often in their algorithms.

This research contributes to the broader goal of the Center for Media Engagement’s connective democracy initiative, which seeks to find practical solutions to the problem of divisiveness. In a highly polarised digital environment, small changes in the way we communicate can go a long way toward creating a better experience.

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