A new Pew Research study released Thursday shows that 46% of adult social media users are “worn out” by all the political posts they see online.
In 2016, that number was 36%.
“Roughly two-thirds of users (68%) now say they find it ‘stressful and frustrating’ to talk about politics on social media with people they disagree with, up from 59% in 2016,” revealed the study. “Conversely, 27% of users today say they find these interactions ‘interesting and informative,’ compared with 35% three years prior.”
Social media played a major role in the presidential election in 2016. Facebook was a prime target of Russian manipulators in 2016. The Kremlin-tied Internet Research Agency leveraged Facebook to spread misinformation before and after the presidential election — ultimately hitting 126 million users, the company told Congress.
In 2019, the president continues to use Twitter himself, attacking sitting representatives and American cities. Trends on the microblogging site, like “Moscow Mitch,” are often political, too.
The study also showed that political fatigue on social media varies across demographics.
“White social media users are more likely than nonwhite users to say they find it stressful and frustrating to talk politics with people they disagree with (72% vs. 61%) or that these conversations generally lead them to realize they have less in common with that person than they may have anticipated (71% vs. 61%),” per Pew.
Only 15% of respondents said they like political posts.