Global social media engagement trends revealed for election year of 2024

Right-leaning news outlets and political parties engaged more on politics, religion, and migration; left-leaning news and political groups engaged more on education, health and technology

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Global social media engagement trends revealed for election year of 2024.

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Credit: geralt, Pixabay, CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)

An analysis of more than 4 million Facebook posts created by news outlets and political parties in 2024 highlights global social media engagement trends and political polarization during a year which included elections for many countries. Giulio Pecile and colleagues at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on February 5, 2025.

Prior research has suggested that the tailored content presented on social media platforms may reinforce political polarization and influence voter behavior. In 2024, a substantial portion of the world’s population participated in elections, providing an opportunity to examine global-scale social media engagement during a major election year.

Pecile and colleagues analyzed how audiences engaged with content posted on Facebook by news agencies and political parties between September 2023 and May 2024. The dataset included audience reactions (for instance, likes, comments, or shares) as indicators of engagement for around 4.2 million Facebook posts made by 508 news agencies and 176,000 Facebook posts by 336 political parties, across a total of 31 countries that held elections in 2024. To uncover audience engagement patterns, the researchers applied a method known as principal component analysis, which is commonly used to analyze large datasets.

Focusing on a broad selection of topics—such as education, sports, and climate change—the researchers found that engagement on different topics varied between countries, between news outlets versus political parties, and between right- versus left-leaning groups.

Most notably, engagement levels for certain topics differed according to political orientation. Right-leaning news outlets and political parties had more engagement on politics, religion, and migration, while left-leaning news and political groups had more engagement on education, health and technology. The researchers note, however, that this divide is not absolute and their data suggest common ground can be found for specific issues.

The researchers also note that this study, while underscoring polarization risks of social media, could also inform efforts to narrow political divides and develop evidence-based policies on broadly important topics—such as climate change, public health, and war—that may be more likely to succeed.

The authors add: “This study offers a global perspective on how political and news-related content resonates with audiences during an election year, and underscores the influence of social media on public opinion and its potential to both deepen echo chambers and foster constructive dialogue on critical global issues. Exploring the topics most covered and best received by political parties and news organizations, and analyzing the substantial difference between the reception of news and party content by users, can inform those groups on how to better connect to their public during the democratic process.”

 

 

In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS One: https://plos.io/3WrOFfa

Citation: Pecile G, Di Marco N, Cinelli M, Quattrociocchi W (2025) Mapping the global election landscape on social media in 2024. PLoS ONE 20(2): e0316271. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316271

Author countries: Italy

Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

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Journal

PLOS One

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0316271 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Mapping the global election landscape on social media in 2024

Article Publication Date

5-Feb-2025

 

Zoom fatigue is linked to dissatisfaction with one’s facial appearance

Virtual meeting fatigue is associated with increased use of impression management features such as filters and avatars

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Zoom fatigue is linked to dissatisfaction with one’s facial appearance.

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Credit: Alexandra_Koch, Pixabay, CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)

Facial appearance dissatisfaction is associated with virtual meeting (VM) fatigue, which prompts the use of impression management behaviors and results in lower intention to adopt VM technologies, according to a study published February 5, 2025, in the open-access journal PLOS One by Chaeyun Lim from Michigan State University, U.S., and colleagues.

The increasing reliance on VMs has led to a pervasive experience of VM fatigue, commonly referred to as Zoom fatigue. This phenomenon has significant implications for workplace productivity and individual well-being. Despite VM fatigue’s critical role in shaping workplace interactions and digital inclusion in emerging virtual work environments, its effects on VM adoption—and the mechanisms linking facial appearance concerns, VM fatigue, and VM adoption—remain underexplored.

In the new study, Lim and colleagues responded to the pressing need to understand the mechanism of VM fatigue and its consequences for virtual workplace technology inclusion. Specifically, the researchers investigated impression management features—tools that enable users to adjust their self-video to manage their appearance. They recruited 2,448 U.S.-based workers to participate in a 15-minute survey. The sample included professional, technical, or scientific workers who worked remotely at least sometimes and who participated regularly in virtual meetings for work. The survey assessed participants’ negative perceptions of their facial appearance, as well as impression management behaviors such as the use of touch-up to enhance self video and the use of video filters or avatars.

Using structural equation modelling to examine the relationships between each of these factors, the results demonstrated that individuals who report increased facial appearance dissatisfaction experience more VM fatigue which then leads to more use of impression management features. VM fatigue induced by facial dissatisfaction is associated with users perceiving VMs as less useful, ultimately affecting their intention to adopt VM platforms in workplace meetings. Taken together, the findings advance understanding of the psychological mechanisms underlying VM fatigue and its influence on technology adoption.

Study limitations include the recruitment of participants solely from the U.S., and the survey design, which prevented the researchers from identifying causal relationships among facial appearance dissatisfaction, VM fatigue, impression management behaviors, and intentions to adopt VMs. According to the authors, future research should recruit participants from various cultural contexts and delve deeper into how current VM features facilitate workplace communication in manners that supports the well-being and socio-psychological needs of workers.

The authors add: “Our study highlights that dissatisfaction with facial appearance contributes to Zoom fatigue, leading to reduced adoption of virtual meeting technologies. This dissatisfaction also drives the use of impression management features, emphasizing the need to address worker well-being in virtual communication environments.”

 

 

In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS One: https://plos.io/3C7uQDa

Citation: Lim C, Ratan R, Foxman M, Beyea D, Jeong D, Leith AP (2025) Examining attitudes about the virtual workplace: Associations between zoom fatigue, impression management, and virtual meeting adoption intent. PLoS ONE 20(2): e0312354. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0312354

Author countries: U.S.

Funding: Rabindra Ratan, Maxwell Foxman, David Beyea, Alex P. Leith have received funding from NSF. This material is based upon a study supported by the National Science Foundation under grant FW-HTF-R: Collaborative Research: Virtual Meeting Support for Enhanced Well-Being and Equity for Game Developers NSF Award Nos. 2128746, 2128803, 2128813, and 2128991 from SES Division. NSF URL: https://www.nsf.gov/ NSF did not play any role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or manuscript preparation.

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Journal

PLOS One

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0312354 

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Examining attitudes about the virtual workplace: Associations between zoom fatigue, impression management, and virtual meeting adoption intent

Article Publication Date

5-Feb-2025

 

Students around the world find ChatGPT useful, but also express concerns

International study surveys 23,000 higher education students about use and perception of popular AI tool

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Word cloud of students’ perceptions of ChatGPT.

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Credit: Ravšelj et al., 2025, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

An international survey study involving more than 23,000 higher education students reveals trends in how they use and experience ChatGPT, highlighting both positive perceptions and awareness of the AI chatbot’s limitations. Dejan Ravšelj of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on February 5, 2025.

Prior research suggests that ChatGPT can enhance learning, despite concerns about its role in academic integrity, potential impacts on critical thinking, and occasionally inaccurate responses. However, the few studies exploring student perceptions of ChatGPT in higher education have been limited in scope. Ravšelj and colleagues designed an anonymous online survey study aiming to provide a broader view.

From October 2023 to February 2024—a period soon after the public release of ChatGPT in late 2022—23,218 students representing 109 countries and territories took the survey, which asked about perceptions of various aspects of ChatGPT, such as how they use it, ethical concerns, and views on its potential labor market impacts.

Analysis of the survey results revealed several trends. For instance, overall, participants tended to feel positively about ChatGPT, finding it valuable for brainstorming, summarizing texts, academic writing, and simplifying complex information. However, they reported concerns about ChatGPT’s reliability, its potential to erode critical thinking skills, and ethical issues around its use, such as cheating and privacy. While participants reported a preference for human interaction, they anticipated rising demand for AI-related skills.

Interestingly, less than a third of students (29%) reported using ChatGPT for brainstorming, and only one in ten (11%) for creative writing. However, most students (70%) found ChatGPT interesting to use, and a quarter (25%) found it easier to interact with ChatGPT than with colleagues.

The students’ perceptions varied across sociodemographic and geographic factors. For instance, those in lower-income regions were more likely to perceive ChatGPT as essential support in the context of limited educational resources, while students in high-income regions placed greater value on ChatGPT’s innovative and advanced features.

In all, the researchers note, these findings could help inform the design of higher education curricula and policies to harness the benefits of ChatGPT equitably across diverse student populations. Future research could address some of this study’s limitations, such as by tracking students’ perceptions over time and including more students from low-income countries.

The authors add: “A new milestone in generative artificial intelligence research in higher education: Early global perceptions of ChatGPT, drawn from over 23,000 students across 109 countries and territories, highlight its role as an engaging learning tool while raising ethical concerns that require further attention. The study examines student perspectives on its usage, capabilities, regulation, satisfaction, attitudes, study outcomes, skills development, labor market implications, and emotional responses.”

 

 

In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS One: https://plos.io/40HWLCZ

Citation: Ravšelj D, Keržič D, Tomaževič N, Umek L, Brezovar N, A. Iahad N, et al. (2025) Higher education students’ perceptions of ChatGPT: A global study of early reactions. PLoS ONE 20(2): e0315011. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0315011

Author countries: Slovenia, Malaysia, Tanzania, Russia, Guatemala, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Spain, Ghana, Romania, Türkiye, Chile, Tunisia, Slovakia, Republic of North Macedonia, Brazil, Italy, Zambia, Ecuador, Colombia, China, Cyprus, Romania, Mexico, Portugal, Canada, Croatia, Indonesia, Philippines, Jordan, Japan, Luxembourg, Bangladesh, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nigeria, Georgia, India, Palestine, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Latvia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Albania, Thailand, Israel, Poland, Cape Verde, U.K., Serbia, Algeria, Estonia, Zimbabwe

Funding: The authors acknowledge the financial support from the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (research core funding No. P5-0093 and project No. Z5-4569). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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Journal

PLOS One

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0315011 

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Higher education students’ perceptions of ChatGPT: A global study of early reactions

Article Publication Date

5-Feb-2025

 

Labor market immigrants moving to Germany are less likely to make their first choice of residence in regions where xenophobic attitudes, measured by right-wing party support and xenophobic violence, are stronger, per 2004-2017 data

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Choice of residence by migrant workers is influenced by xenophobic attitudes.

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Credit: Buch et al., CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Labor market immigrants moving to Germany are less likely to make their first choice of residence in regions where xenophobic attitudes, measured by right-wing party support and xenophobic violence, are stronger, per 2004-2017 data

 

 

Article URL: https://plos.io/4g9rxcy

Article title: Do xenophobic attitudes influence migrant workers’ regional location choice?

Author countries: Germany

Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

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Journal

PLOS One

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0316627 

Article Title

Do xenophobic attitudes influence migrant workers’ regional location choice?

Article Publication Date

5-Feb-2025

 

The early roots of carnival? Research reveals evidence of seasonal celebrations in pre-colonial Brazil

Pre-colonial people in Brazil may have gathered in summer months to feast on migratory fish and share alcoholic drinks, a new study suggests

University of York

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Lead author of the study, Dr Marjolein Admiraal carried out the research while at the Bioarchaeology laboratory (BioArCh) at the University of York

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Credit: Alex Holland, University of York

Pre-colonial people in Brazil may have gathered in summer months to feast on migratory fish and share alcoholic drinks, a new study suggests.

An international team – involving scientists from the University of York, UK; the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, and the Universidade Federal de Pelotas in Brazil – analysed pottery fragments dating back to between 2300 and 1200 years ago which were discovered around the Patos Lagoon in Brazil.

The shores of the Lagoon are characterised by settled earthen mounds, known as “Cerritos” which were built by pre-colonial ancestors of Pampean Indigenous groups called the Charrua and Minuano.

The researchers tentatively identified some of the earliest evidence of alcoholic drink production in the region, with cutting-edge analysis of the pottery revealing traces of beverages made using vegetables – likely to have been tubers, sweetcorn and palm. Other pottery fragments contained evidence of the processing of fish.

The discovery adds evidence to the researchers’ belief that pre-colonial people may have gathered around the mounds – which held symbolic significance as burials, territorial markers, and monuments – to celebrate and feast on seasonally abundant fish. An earlier study using isotope analysis of ancient human remains unearthed in the area indicated that the inhabitants had diverse diets, suggesting that people may have travelled to the Lagoon from the wider region.

Lead author of the study, Dr Marjolein Admiraal, who carried out the research while at the Bioarchaeology laboratory (BioArCh) at the University of York, suggests seasonal gatherings at the mounds were important cultural events, drawing dispersed communities together to exploit and celebrate the return of migrating fish – such as the Whitemouth croaker – which likely required collective effort to process.

 “We see examples of such practices around the world, often related to seasonal abundance of migratory species. These events provide an excellent opportunity for social activities, such as funerals and marriages, and hold great cultural significance”, she says.

“Our findings – supported by a combination of biomolecular and isotopic approaches in organic residue analysis – provide compelling evidence for the use of fermented beverages in these ancient communities and show that pottery played a crucial role in feasting and social activities.”

Professor Oliver Craig from BioArCh at the University of York said “Through detailed chemical analysis we were able to determine what products were present in the Cerritos pottery vessels but also how people prepared these products, through heating, storage and potentially fermentation. This brings us one step closer to understanding the culinary role of different foodstuffs in past societies”

The discovery sheds new light on the lifeways of these pre-colonial groups, highlighting the multifaceted purposes of the Cerritos and their role in the social and economic life of the mound builders, the researchers say.

Co-author of the research, Rafael Milheira from the Universidade Federal de Pelotas in Brazil said: “The Cerritos are a combination of ritual and domestic places, and their elevated design may have been influenced by the local environment; these places were likely important to the people and raising them above potential erosion by seasonal high waters would have protected them.

“We know that large gatherings and feasts were important cultural events in the past (and today), throughout the world. And we suggest prehistoric people in the area would have invested in pottery production in anticipation of these gatherings which drew people to Patos Lagoon to feast on seasonal aquatic resources.”

André Colonese, from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, co-author of the research and Principal Investigator of the ERC project TRADITION, highlights: “This study reinforces the power of molecular archaeology in unlocking information from common artefacts, such as pottery sherds, that was previously inaccessible through conventional archaeological methods. Moreover, a key message from the paper is that preserving the Cerritos as unique Pampean cultural heritage is of high priority if we want to learn from past societies how to sustainably live in such a dynamic environment”.

As research continues, these insights into the Cerritos and their cultural significance offer a glimpse into the early traditions and social practices of the Pampean Indigenous groups, enriching our understanding of prehistoric life in southern Brazil.

Feasting on fish. Specialized function of pre-colonial pottery of the Cerritos mound builders of southern Brazil is published in the journal PLOS ONE.

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Journal

PLOS One

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0311192 

Article Title

“Feasting on fish. Specialized function of pre-colonial pottery of the Cerritos mound builders of southern Brazil

Article Publication Date

5-Feb-2025