Work

Filter bubbles as a vector of tradition? Decoding opinion dynamics with agent-based modelling

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This paper investigates the relationship between online filter bubbles and the emergence of echo chambers. In particular, building on an agent-based simulation model, we find that the narrower the filter bubble, the larger the number of echo chambers, and the lower the degree of consensus among the population of agents as a whole. According to the existing literature, echo chambers present risks of polarization, extremism and separatism. Yet, we do not recommend reinforcing the regulation of filter bubbles. Indeed, our model suggests that the presence of sources of serendipitous knowledge, like for instance in the form of third places, can prevent the apparition of echo chambers, even in the presence of narrow filter bubbles. Going back to Gabriel Tarde’s classical distinction between opinion, tradition, and reason, we argue that sources of serendipitous knowledge favor the development of a society of opinion, while echo chambers resemble micro-societies of tradition. In this perspective, current developments of information technologies produce a tension between tradition and opinion.

Source: Journal of Computational Social Science

DOI: 10.1007/s42001-025-00422-7

Authors: Benoît Desmarchelier, Faridah Djellal, Faïz Gallouj

Institutions: Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université de Lille

Language: English

Topic: Opinion Dynamics and Social Influence

Subfield: Statistical and Nonlinear Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,290

Funder: European Research Executive Agency