How social media distorts our perceptions

Issue 174: Our information diet is shaped by a tiny sliver of humanity whose job, identity, or obsession is to post constantly

The experience of interacting with others on social media is becoming more and more distant from reality. Jay recently wrote an article for the Guardian exploring this disconnect. He explains how social media creates a deeply distorted picture of society, amplifying outrage and division far beyond what most people experience in their daily lives.

The gap between the inflammatory tone of online discourse and the relative calm of everyday life has grown more pronounced over time. A recent article from our lab by Claire Robertson, Kareena del Rosario and Jay explains how social media functions less like a neutral reflection of public opinion and more like a funhouse mirror—creating a distorted reflection of reality.

A small, hyperactive group of users—just 10%—produces about 97% of political content on platforms like X (formerly Twitter). Even more striking, only 0.1% of users are responsible for 80% of fake news. This small group of "super-users" skews public perception by flooding social…