Political polarisation and social conflicts are on the rise worldwide – social media is often seen as a key driver of this development. In an online lecture on Wednesday, 11 February 2026, at 1 p.m., Dr Emily Kubin from the University of Oxford will address the question of how reliable this assumption is and what role social media can actually play in the emergence, but also in the reduction, of political polarisation. The webinar is part of the ‘Digital Transformation and Society’ series organised by the ECT Lab+ at the European University of Technology (EUT+).
The starting point is a systematic analysis of 94 research papers on media use and political polarisation. The results show that both traditional news media and social media – especially when consuming ‘like-minded’ content – can reinforce ideological and affective polarisation. At the same time, Dr Kubin makes it clear that, to date, relatively little research has been done on how social media can be used in a targeted manner for intervention-based approaches to overcome social division.
Building on several experimental studies, Dr Kubin presents innovative approaches that demonstrate the potential of social media to bridge political divides. These include studies on so-called victimhood narratives, in which personal experiences of victimisation are shared across political camps. These contributions can significantly reduce political intolerance, dehumanisation and the willingness to censor opposing positions. In addition, Dr Kubin presents research on warnings about polarising content, which can sensitise readers to the divisive effect of certain media formats and thus mitigate affective polarisation.
Dr Emily Kubin is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford and a research affiliate at the Center for Conflict and Cooperation at New York University. As a political psychologist, she conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of social psychology, media studies and artificial intelligence. In her research, she also examines the role of AI – both as a potential amplifier of political polarisation and as a tool for developing effective interventions.
The lecture will take place online on Wednesday, 11 February 2026, at 1:00 p.m. Registration: https://forms.office.com/e/nn1fvqxyB5
Translation: DeepL
