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Social Media

MIT Sloan study finds thinking style impacts how people use social media

MIT Sloan Office of Communications

Feb 11, 2021

Critical thinkers share higher quality content and information than intuitive thinkers

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 11, 2021 – Social media has become a significant channel for social interactions, political communications, and marketing. However, little is known about the effect of cognitive style on how people engage with social media. A new study by MIT Sloan Research Affiliate Mohsen Mosleh , MIT Sloan School of Management Prof. David Rand , and their collaborators shows that people who engage in more analytical thinking are more discerning in their social media use, sharing news content from more reliable sources and tweeting about more substantial topics like politics.

“It’s important to understand how people interact on social media and what influences their decisions to share content and follow different accounts. Prior studies have explored the relationship between social media use and personality and demographic measures, but this is the first study to show the connection with cognitive style,” says Rand.

Mosleh, a professor at the University of Exeter Business School, explains, “In the field of cognitive science, some argue that critical thinking doesn’t have much to do with our daily life, but this study shows that it matters – critical thinkers are better able to use social media in meaningful ways, which has become an important part of modern life.”

In their study, the researchers measure Twitter-users cognitive style using the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT), which is a set of questions with intuitively compelling but incorrect answers. For example, participants might be asked” If you are running a race and you pass the person in second place, what place are you in? The answer that intuitively comes to mind for many people is “first place,” however “second place” is the correct answer.

Mosleh points out that there is disagreement in the field of cognitive science about the relative roles of intuition and reflection in people’s everyday lives. Some say humans’ capacity to reflect is underused, and that critical thinking is mostly used to justify our intuitive judgments. Others maintain that critical thinking does have a meaningful impact on beliefs and behaviors and that it increases accuracy.

Their Twitter study confirmed that critical thinking has a significant impact on how users interact on social media. People in the sample who engaged in more cognitive reflection were more discerning in their social media use. They followed more selectively, shared higher quality content from more reliable sources, and tweeted about weightier subjects, particularly politics.

The researchers also found evidence of cognitive “echo chambers,” says Rand. “More intuitive users tended to follow similar types of accounts, which were notably avoided by more analytical users. They also tended to share content related to scams and sales promotions.”

He notes, “This study sheds light on how misinformation and scams are spread on social media, suggesting that lack of thinking is an important contributor to undesirable behavior. It also highlights the type of users at risk of falling for scams.”

As for the importance of cognitive style for everyday behaviors, Rand call this an “important new piece of evidence for the consequences of analytic thinking.”

Rand and Mosleh are coauthors of “Cognitive reflection correlates with behavior on Twitter,” along with MIT Research Associate Antonio Arechar and University of Regina Assistant Professor Gordon Pennycook,which was published in Nature Communications.

About the MIT Sloan School of Management

The MIT Sloan School of Management is where smart, independent leaders come together to solve problems, create new organizations, and improve the world. Learn more at mitsloan.mit.edu .

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Does social media affect critical thinking skills?

The emergence of social media and the reliance on various platforms is increasingly impacting the way in which we interact with each other and the world as a whole. We know that our virtual network is oftentimes as important to us as our physical network and that the information we digest online is significantly influential, but is social media affecting our critical thinking skills? The answer is, yes. Although, for better or worse is the question.

To learn more about how social media is affecting our critical thinking skills and what you can do about it, continue reading.

How is social media affecting critical thinking skills?

In a nutshell, critical thinking skills refer to our ability to analyze, interpret, infer, and problem-solve. These skills typically present themselves in the order of identifying a problem, gathering the data relevant to that problem, analyzing the information we gathered, and making a decision or coming to a solution.

As you can imagine, critical thinking skills require time and mental investment. However, according to research conducted by Stanford University , social media may diminish the amount of mental capacity we spend on any one given problem or task. This is because frequent use of social media tends to interfere with daily interactions, forcing the user to try and split attention between two or more things at a time. This split attention leads to less effective concentration on each given thing, perhaps impacting critical thinking skills negatively.

In addition to the negative impacts of multi-tasking, social media tends to prey on emotion rather than reason. You can thank the algorithms behind your preferred platform for this, as these algorithms deliberately put information in front of you that is targeted to your interest and leanings in any easily digestible format. By seeing information that you already tend to agree with or favor more often than you see information that counters your beliefs, you are being denied the ability to gather all information, analyze appropriately, and come to a more well-informed conclusion.

In other words, you stop questioning. And when you stop questioning, you stop thinking critically.

Does social media affect the critical thinking skills of one group more than another?

The most susceptible to the cognitive and behavioral downfalls of social media use are youth and young adults because they are at an age when their emotional intelligence and critical thinking skills are still immature.

The young are particularly reliant on the positive feedback received through social media, which makes them less likely to be critical of information presented, as they do not want to appear like they are rocking the boat or going against their friends.

The case can be made that peer pressure and bullying are only exacerbated because of social media, which allows for a fear culture to grow in this space that makes sharing one’s opinions a risky move. After all, much of one’s social media presence is built upon being liked, and it would be unpopular to voice any divergent opinions.

Although the younger population is more susceptible to conforming to popular opinions, a 2019 Science Advances study showed that older people, those 65 years old and older, are four times more likely to spread misinformation on social media. Thus, proving that a failure to employ critical thinking skills when using social media is not isolated to the younger population. It is a problem shared by many.

Is there an upside to social media when it comes to critical thinking skills?

In contrast to some of the evidence that social media only harms critical thinking skills, social media, when used right, can be a powerful tool to strengthen one’s critical thinking skills.

With the wealth of information available and competing interests displayed on social media, these platforms can be a resource in developing the ability to scrutinize information and source additional facts to come to more well-informed decisions or more effective solutions to problems.

In order to do this, one needs to be resistant to accepting the first piece of information as the truth before having a chance to validate that information.

What can I do to strengthen my critical thinking skills on social media?

The overwhelming amount of information that is fed to us through social media platforms has made critical thinking skills that much more critical in today’s age. It may be an odd characteristic to cultivate, but skepticism will be your best friend when trying to strengthen your critical thinking skills on social media. And while you are practicing skepticism, there are a few things that you can do on social media today to help you get started:

• Look for credentials or other forms of credibility: One way in which you can tell if you are digesting a credible piece of information is to look at the source of that information. Does that person have credentials or other forms of credibility that lend to the validity of the information? If not, be skeptical, and do your own research.
• Examine the sources: If you are reading an article or blog post that you were directed to by social media, search the page for source links. If the information being presented is credible, the article or blog post will contain links to sources for that information. Better than just scanning for links to sources, you should actually click on those links to see what the sources are. Sources such as national or local newspapers, universities, and government agencies are dependable.
• Check your biases: We all have them, and taking a moment to check your biases when consuming information can go a long way in keeping your critical thinking skills sharp.

In a time when information is king and social media is a big player in spreading that information, it is essential to remain vigilant to the information we are taking in. Questioning what is presented as fact and utilizing the amazing tool that is the web to develop well-informed opinions is the key to honing your critical thinking skills on social media.

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Research Articles

Interaction, Critical Thinking, and Social Network Analysis (SNA) in Online Courses

• Joan Thormann ,
• Samuel Gable ,
• Patricia Seferlis Fidalgo and
• George Blakeslee

…more information

Joan Thormann Lesley University, USA [email protected]

Samuel Gable Lesley University, USA [email protected]

Patricia Seferlis Fidalgo Instituto Piaget, Portugal [email protected]

George Blakeslee Lesley University, USA

Online publication: Jan. 27, 2020

An article of the journal International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning  

Volume 14, Number 3, July 2013 , p. 294–318

Copyright (c) Joan Thormann, Samuel Gable, Patricia Seferlis Fidalgo, George Blakeslee, 2013

This study tried to ascertain a possible relationship between the number of student moderators (1, 2, and 3), online interactions, and critical thinking of K-12 educators enrolled in an online course that was taught from a constructivist approach. The course topic was use of technology in special education. Social network analysis (SNA) and measures of critical thinking (Newman, Webb, & Cochrane, 1995) were used to research and assess if there was a difference in interaction and critical thinking between 1, 2, or 3 student moderators who facilitated a forum discussion of an assignment in an online course. The same course was repeated over three years. Each year either 1, 2, or 3 students moderated. The analysis indicated more discussion per non-moderating student with the three student moderated group. Using SNA we found that there was only one noticeable difference among the three groups which was in the value of network centralization. Using critical thinking measures the three student moderator group scored higher in five of the eight critical thinking categories. Variations in instructor presence in the online courses may have influenced these findings.

• constructivism,
• critical thinking,
• distance education,
• online learning,
• peer facilitators,
• social network analysis,
• student moderators,
• teacher education

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5 Networking Tips for Introverts (and Anyone Else)

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Even if you’re an introvert who dreads the notion of networking, you can develop your skills to get out there and do it. Research by the Lehigh@NasdaqCenter, a partnership between Lehigh University and the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, identified make-or-break factors for developing networking skills. They include: the ability to adapt your thinking swiftly in response to changing situations; combating a tendency to focus more on avoiding errors and negative results and instead striving for positive outcomes; consciously trying to have faith in your networking prowess; being persistent; and focusing more on the future.

Professionals who are extroverts are better equipped than introverts to form social connections, right? After all, they’re outgoing and more comfortable talking with strangers.

• Willy Das is a research scientist at the Lehigh@NasdaqCenter , an exclusive education-industry partnership between Lehigh University and the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center.
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Column: Loud and privileged voices are damaging the credibility of the left

It’s difficult to make criticisms of those who are on the same moral side as we are. We are group-oriented creatures , bound to those who we feel are trustworthy and those who fight for our causes. Exacerbated by a hostile political climate that forces movements to radical places on the political spectrum, our own polarization often gets the best of us, causing us to view all progressive ideology as good and all conservative ideology as bad, or vice versa.

I’d argue, though, that criticism of our own side is necessary to push for progress. Existing in cognitive dissonance is the only way that we can overcome and improve our weaknesses, errors and misinterpretations.

This is why, recently, I’ve become deeply concerned at the behavior of those on the so-called “radical left,” or as I prefer to call them, “ Twitter leftists” — young, absorbent and desperate to be involved. In a dystopian social environment that has somehow romanticized the most radical of political thought, it appears that a number of those who are politically involved have forgotten their critical thinking skills in an effort to make a difference. Performative activism, a lack of in-depth research and an embarrassing ignorance of privilege have permeated the movement of the left, delegitimizing the efforts of real change-makers and those with well-founded political backgrounds.

For instance, one Google search will tell you that the most recent  Starbucks boycott has no political or moral foundation. In an official statement updated by the franchise in October 2023, the company made it clear that they dissolved their partnership with Israel in 2003, and have since provided them with no financial support.

Initial public boycotts stemmed from misunderstandings regarding Starbucks’ opposition of a pro-Palestine statement made by Starbucks Workers United, a worker-led unionizing effort.  This incident was inaccurately characterized by the public as a political issue regarding support for Israel as opposed to the reality: trademark infringement. The ease with which one could find this information — which according to my stopwatch, took forty-five seconds — is troubling, because it indicates the lack of research associated with worldwide boycotts and movements.

Let me be clear: Starbucks has certainly not taken an ideal approach to the crisis. They have not contributed in a meaningful way with humanitarian aid to victims in the Middle East, released a public statement standing with Palestine nor accomplished anything significant that we’d hope to see from a major corporation. But if you’re that up in arms about a company that hasn’t taken a publicly pro-Palestinian stance, I hope you’re equally intense about your boycotts for Amazon , McDonald ’s and just about every other major establishment out there.

I empathize with the appeal of being involved in something like the Starbucks boycott. It is comforting to our group-inclined minds to find strength in numbers, especially when we believe that we are doing the right thing. But we’re boycotting Starbucks because it’s simple — and demands nothing from us other than to sit in the comfort of our home and yell at strangers on the internet for buying their kid a frappuccino. The attention that has been devoted to the boycott could have very easily been spent elsewhere in causes that are genuinely productive.

We choose the easy route because we don’t have the resilience or empathy to do anything else. Many lifelong American citizens who demand their opinion be heard first have never experienced true oppression — the type of oppression that plagues other parts of the world in real, tangible ways.

The tendency that some leftists have to grapple for the lowest rung on the ladder is disgusting. Our glorification of the underdog has contributed to a rhetoric that we are in the same category of persecution as the victims of a genocide —   a viral post on X that equated homophobia and sexism in the Middle East to homophobia and sexism in Florida is just one example of this. It’s exhilarating to deny our own privilege.

That privilege seeps into everything we do, even the rare parts that are fueled by the best of intentions. Frankly, it is a privilege to protest on a campus. We march from our lofty, prestigious universities — whereas in Gaza, every university has been bombed to the ground . Our oppressors are not, and have never been, the same. Statements that tout leftist victimhood proclaim nothing but ignorance. Critical thinking and comprehension about the real workings of government are not on our side when we approach issues this way.

This lack of comprehension was on display when some of  these leftists slammed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez  (D-NY 14th) for making an appearance at the Gaza solidarity encampment at Columbia University, and when they threatened to “punish” the Biden administration via an abstention of their vote in the upcoming election. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez has done a great deal more than her congressional counterparts in calling for an end to violence in Gaza, and the current administration will undoubtedly not be worse for the conflict than another Trump term. Sentiments like these prove nothing more than a lack of understanding about real politics. If we keep acting like near-sighted toddlers, we are going to have no one legitimate left on our side.

We could take all of these claims as a theoretical criticism and change nothing. But in doing so, we would be ignoring the very apparent truth that our actions have an impact on other people. Loud and privileged voices are occupying the majority of our movement’s space, and it damages the credibility of our intentions. If all of our information is regurgitated from fringe social media platforms instead of the results of our own well-intentioned research, our activism is performative — and that’s the hard truth.

@madelyn_rowley

@dthopinion  |  [email protected]

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UN Secretary-General Appoints Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals

With ever-growing needs for minerals that are critical for renewable energy technologies, Secretary-General António Guterres is leveraging the United Nations’ convening power to bring together a diverse group of Governments and other stakeholders across the entire minerals value chain to develop a set of global common and voluntary principles to safeguard environmental and social standards and embed justice, in the energy transition.

A newly established Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals — co-chaired by Ambassador Nozipho Joyce Mxakato-Diseko of South Africa and Director-General for Energy Ditte Juul Jørgensen of the European Commission — will address issues relating to equity, transparency, investment, sustainability and human rights.

“A world powered by renewables is a world hungry for critical minerals,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at the launch of the Panel.  “For developing countries, critical minerals are a critical opportunity — to create jobs, diversify economies and dramatically boost revenues.  But, only if they are managed properly.  The race to net zero cannot trample over the poor.  The renewables revolution is happening — but we must guide it towards justice.”

“In establishing the Panel, the UN Secretary-General is commendably responding to a normative gap identified by many countries, especially developing countries, related to critical minerals and rare earths required for sustainable development and just transitions,” Ambassador Mxakato-Diseko said.  “The objective of the Panel, aligned to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations Framework Agreement on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement, is to build trust and certainty towards harnessing the potential of these minerals to be utilized to unlock shared prosperity, leaving no one and no place behind”.

Director-General for Energy Ditte Juul Jørgensen said:  “The global energy goals we all agreed at COP28 [twenty-eighth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change] require a rapid scale-up in the manufacturing and deployment of renewables globally and critical energy transition minerals.  I am honored to have been asked by the UN Secretary-General to co-chair this panel and help develop principles to ensure a fair and transparent approach globally and for local communities in the entire value chain — upholding the highest sustainability and human development standards.”

Limiting global warming to 1.5°C, to avert the worst impacts of climate change, will depend on the sufficient, reliable and affordable supply of critical energy transition minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements, which are essential components of clean energy technologies — from wind turbines and solar panels to electric vehicles and battery storage.

At COP28, Governments agreed to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030.  There is no pathway to achieving this goal without a significant increase of supply of critical energy transition minerals.  According to the International Energy Agency, mineral demand for clean energy applications is set to grow by three and a half times by 2030 on the pathway to reaching global net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.

Developing countries with large reserves of critical energy transition minerals have an opportunity to transform and diversify their economies, create green jobs and foster sustainable local development.  However, mineral resource development has not always met this promise.  Without proper management, increased demand for these minerals risks perpetuating commodity dependence, exacerbating geopolitical tensions, and poses environmental and social challenges with adverse impacts on sustainable development including on livelihoods, the environment, health, human security and human rights.

Responding to calls from developing countries for globally agreed guidance to ensure responsible, fair and just value chains, the UN-convened Panel brings together Governments, intergovernmental and international organizations, industry and civil society to build trust, guide the just transition and accelerate the race to renewables.

The Panel builds on existing UN initiatives, particularly the Working Group on Transforming the Extractive Industries for Sustainable Development and its flagship initiative on “Harnessing Critical Energy Transition Minerals for Sustainable Development” and will draw from existing standards and initiatives to strengthen and consolidate existing efforts.

List of Panel Members:

Government and Intergovernmental Actors

• African Union
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• European Union
• South Africa
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom
• United States

Non-State Actors

• Climate Action Network International
• Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative
• Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance
• International Council on Mining and Metals
• International Energy Agency
• Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development
• IndustriALL Global Union
• International Renewable Energy Agency
• Natural Resource Governance Institute
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
• Principles for Responsible Investment
• United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
• United Nations Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change

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