Previous research by the Center for Media Engagement found that a sense of common humanity – where people recognize that their own failings are common human experiences – can help bring people together. Now we examine whether this feeling can be fostered with something as simple as a meme.
The results of the study show that memes designed to encourage people to think about common humanity helped people feel more positively about people they disagree with politically. This suggests that social media platforms could help bridge divides by prioritizing these types of memes in their algorithms, especially when people are discussing politics.
PROBLEM
Efforts to help ease the animosity that people have for those they disagree with politically have proven particularly elusive.1 This can pose challenges in a democracy because it may limit people’s ability to see issues from others’ viewpoints or to work together to solve problems.2
A recent Center for Media Engagement study found that having a sense of common humanity – where people recognize that their own failings are common human experiences as a means to understand others’ mistakes – might help. We found that the more sense of common humanity people felt, the more likely they were to feel they had the skills to develop relationships with those they disagree with.
The findings led us to examine whether it was possible to foster a sense of common humanity through the use of memes, and, if so, whether it would help people see those they disagree with politically in a better light. This research is part of our connective democracy initiative, funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Connective democracy seeks to find practical solutions to the problem of divisiveness.
KEY FINDINGS AND IMPLICATIONS
Study findings show that something as simple as a meme can be used to get people in a mindset where they can view their political outgroup more positively. We found that:
Using Facebook memes to encourage people to think about their common humanity with others significantly increased their positive feelings toward people they disagree with politically.
Exposure to the memes had no significant effects on people’s perceptions that people they disagree with politically have negative traits.
This suggests that social media platforms could help bridge divides by prioritizing positive memes in their algorithms, so they would surface to more users. This could be especially effective when people are discussing politics.