Bio

Jay Van Bavel is a professor of psychology and neural science at New York University, an adjunct professor at NHH, and a close collaborator of the interdisciplinary NFR project “Freedom to Choose” let by professors Alexander Cappelen (SAM/FAIR) and Hallgeir Sjåstad (SOL/FAIR). Van Bavel is director of the Social Identity and Morality Lab at NYU, co-author of the book “The Power of Us”, and currently one of the most cited researchers globally in the entire field of psychology. From brain neurons to social networks in society, Jay studies how collective concerns – such as group identities, moral values, political beliefs – shape human behavior and decision-making. In terms of research methods, he relies on a combination of controlled experiments with large-scale observational studies from real-world settings.

Abstract:

Nearly five billion people around the world now use social media, and this number continues to grow. One of the primary goals of social media platforms is to capture and monetize human attention. One means by which individuals and groups can capture attention and drive engagement on these platforms is by sharing morally and emotionally evocative content. We review a growing body of research on the interrelationship of social media and morality as well its consequences for individuals and society. Moral content often goes viral on social media, and social media makes moral behavior (such as punishment) less costly. Thus, social media often acts as an accelerant for existing moral dynamics, amplifying outrage, status seeking, and intergroup conflict while also potentially amplifying more constructive facets of morality, such as social support, prosociality, and collective action. We discuss trends, heated debates, and future directions in this emerging literature.