Most Americans misjudge how many users share toxic content on social media

Maybe the web ain't so bad after all?

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The takeaway: Ask anyone who has spent at least a couple of decades on the Internet, and they will likely say it used to be a much friendlier place. Today, the web has a reputation for being vile and toxic – but according to a recent survey, perception doesn't necessarily match reality.

A recent survey of 1,090 Americans found that people grossly overestimate just how toxic today's Internet really is. On Reddit, for example, Americans believed that 43 percent of users post toxic or misleading content. In actuality, the number of truly toxic users is closer to three percent.

Similarly, those surveyed believe 47 percent of Facebook users share fake or misleading news stories. Data from other large-scale studies on social media found that only around 8.5 percent of users post such content.

And it's not simply an issue of people not being able to correctly identify vile content. In a signal detection test, most participants were able to correctly pinpoint examples of toxic online posts. Instead, it seems to be that people believe misbehavior is more widespread than it truly is. But why?

Perhaps one reason such behavior sticks in our minds has to do with algorithms. What we see on social media is highly curated, and it is not a stretch to think that attention-grabbing content is high on the list of what we are fed due to its shock value. What's more, this kind of content can be jarring and stick in our minds far more prominently than run-of-the-mill news stories.

Interestingly enough, participants' perception of online toxicity changed after they were presented with the facts about how widespread the issue really is. Some even reported feeling more optimistic overall, and less worried that humanity is on the decline morally.

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For better or for worse, social media is here to stay and many are learning that limiting usage allows them to reap the benefits of virtual connections without succumbing to its many pitfalls.

_{Image credit: Adem Ay, Camilo Jimenez}