> Third, this “negativity bias” is further amplified in the era of social media. In the past, traditional authorities and intermediate bodies—churches, politica

> Third, this “negativity bias” is further amplified in the era of social media. In the past, traditional authorities and intermediate bodies—churches, political parties, trade unions, sports clubs—neutralized extreme positions. Blaming social media is trendy these days, but this is a poor argument when one reflects on history. "Traditional authorities" often encouraged extreme positions for its citizens, such as the governments of Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II. (Hitler Youth was a very popular "club!") And doomsday cults have been around forever. (Many are still waiting for The Rapture!) I'm actually rather optimistic about social media. Proper use of social media makes it easier to understand viewpoints of the opposing side and find and share new information. It seems there is a pessimistic "negativity bias" around social media itself because it's easy to point out extreme examples and users.