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Hahn, U., Merdes, C. and von Sydow. Knowledge through Social Networks: Accuracy, Error, and Polarisation. Plos
Abstract
This paper examines the fundamental problem of testimony. Much of what we believe
to know we know in good part, or even entirely, through the testimony of others. The
problem with testimony is that we often have very little on which to base estimates of
the accuracy of our sources. Simulations with otherwise optimal agents examine the
impact of this for the accuracy of our beliefs about the world. It is demonstrated both
where social networks of information dissemination help and where they hinder. Most
importantly, it is shown that both social networks and a common strategy for gauging
the accuracy of our sources give rise to polarisation even for entirely accuracy
motivated agents. Crucially these two factors interact, amplifying one another’s
negative consequences, and this side effect of communication in a social network
increases with network size. This suggests a new causal mechanism by which social
media may have fostered the increase in polarisation currently observed in many parts
of the world.