Abstract
Although past studies have identified numerous ways in which social media (SM) can exacerbate social bias, discrimination, and ostracism, this study offers promising evidence that SM can also be a conduit for social good. Particularly, we advance the concept of Social Media Enabled Intergroup Contact (SMIC) as a means of fostering social cohesion before theorizing its effects on an in-group’s behaviors toward primary and secondary out-groups. We report on a 3-day randomized field experiment involving 218 Instagram users in Germany, who form our in-group. Arising in response to SMIC, positive shifts in stereotypical perceptions of warmth and competence are linked to increased facilitation (both active and passive) and decreased harm (also active and passive) of an ethnic in-group (in our case, Germans) toward an ethnic out-group (Middle Eastern people in Germany). Furthermore, these effects of SMIC spill over to other, secondary out-groups that were not involved in the intergroup encounter (in our case, LGBTQIA+ people), toward whom less active and passive harm was expressed. In so doing, we illustrate how SM can be employed to mend intergroup relations and discuss the corresponding digital responsibilities of SM platforms, individual users, and regulators.
DOI
10.17705/1jais.01007
Recommended Citation
Voronin, Georg; Abramova, Olga; Stieglitz, Stefan; and Tan, Chee-Wee, "Social Media-Enabled Intergroup Contact: Evidence of Primary and Spillover Effects from an Intervention Study" (2026). JAIS Preprints (Forthcoming). 249.
DOI: 10.17705/1jais.01007
Available at:
https://aisel.aisnet.org/jais_preprints/249