{"ID":2882236,"CreatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","UpdatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","DeletedAt":null,"paper_url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.10466","arxiv_id":"2508.10466","title":"Online Homogeneity Can Emerge Without Filtering Algorithms or Homophily Preferences","abstract":"Ideologically homogeneous online environments - often described as \"echo chambers\" or \"filter bubbles\" - are widely seen as drivers of polarization, radicalization, and misinformation. A central debate asks whether such homophily stems primarily from algorithmic curation or users' preference for like-minded peers. This study challenges that view by showing that homogeneity can emerge in the absence of both filtering algorithms and user preferences. Using an agent-based model inspired by Schelling's model of residential segregation, we demonstrate that weak individual preferences, combined with simple group-based interaction structures, can trigger feedback loops that drive communities toward segregation. Once a small imbalance forms, cascades of user exits and regrouping amplify homogeneity across the system. Counterintuitively, algorithmic filtering - often blamed for \"filter bubbles\" - can in fact sustain diversity by stabilizing mixed communities. These findings highlight online polarization as an emergent system-level dynamic and underscore the importance of applying a complexity lens to the study of digital public spheres.","short_abstract":"Ideologically homogeneous online environments - often described as \"echo chambers\" or \"filter bubbles\" - are widely seen as drivers of polarization, radicalization, and misinformation. A central debate asks whether such homophily stems primarily from algorithmic curation or users' preference for like-minded peers. This...","url_abs":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.10466","url_pdf":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2508.10466v1","authors":"[\"Petter Törnberg\"]","published":"2025-08-14T09:08:46Z","proceeding":"cs.SI","tasks":"[\"cs.SI\",\"cs.CY\"]","methods":"[]","has_code":false}