{
  "id": 9829019,
  "title": "How online toxicity silences the majority and fuels power users",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/how-online-toxicity-silences-the-majority-and-fuels-power-users",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-25T20:00:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PsyPost",
    "slug": "psypost",
    "url": "https://www.psypost.org/how-online-toxicity-silences-the-majority-and-fuels-power-users/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The majority of online political discussions are often dominated by a small group of highly active users, known as \"power users,\" while the majority, referred to as \"lurkers,\" silently observe. A recent study published in Science Advances suggests that a polite, constructive environment encourages lurking readers to post their first comment. However, it also found that highly active users become even more prolific when discussions become toxic. This research, conducted by Lisa Oswald and her colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, sheds light on the participation divide in online political discourse. The study involved 520 participants from the United States, randomly assigned to six private Reddit communities discussing various political issues over four weeks. Financial incentives and strict civility rules were tested as potential solutions to the participation gap. Financial rewards encouraged more people to speak up, but strict civility rules did not change participation levels or improve the quality of the discourse. The findings suggest that a hostile environment suppresses the voices of the silent majority, while it also acts as a catalyst for a less sensitive minority to dominate the conversation. The study also found that receiving positive votes on comments increases posting, while negative feedback decreases participation. However, the overall political attitude changes and polarization remained stable across all groups.",
  "summary": "A recent field experiment on Reddit reveals why a vocal minority dominates online political discussions, finding that toxic environments silence the majority while fueling the most active users.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}