The Social Norm Project is a collaborative team studying harassment and objections to harassment online.

Social Norm Project

This study investigates the question: When two competing behaviors coexist, which is perceived as normative? We focus on harassment and objection to harassment in online communities, exploring how their relative frequencies shape perceptions of social norms. Specifically, we examine how exposure to these behaviors influences users perceptions of what is acceptable and how these norms affect individuals intentions to act and their likelihood of objecting to harassment. We conducted experimental studies using The Truman Platform, a simulated social media site, to identify mechanisms behind social norm formation and how others behaviors shape newcomers understanding and actions. We are currently expanding to field studies, with the goal of highlighting the importance of proactive responses and developing an intervention that promotes user-driven upstanding.

Collaborators: Inhwan Bae, Natalie Bazarova, Dominic DiFranzo, Winice Hui, Rene Kizilcec, Han Li, Drew Margolin, Pengfei Zhao.