Bridget Smart

Social media is a platform for people to share ideas, create change and build strong and meaningful connections with others. The role that social media plays in shaping our world view is not yet fully understood, but its effects have been felt in areas ranging from politics to public health.

My research aims to understand how what we see online shapes our actions and opinions, to better understand phenomena including echo chambers, fake news and disinformation campaigns. Using large volumes of data, we work to understand and model the processes behind malicious activity in our online social networks.

Every day we use social media to engage and interact with organisations and individuals online, and understanding the risks of this engagement are key to ensuring online discussions bring us closer together, rather than further apart.