Sander van der Linden on viral altruism : Podcast

Resource Information

The work Sander van der Linden on viral altruism : Podcast represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in European University Institute. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Continuing Resources.

Label

Sander van der Linden on viral altruism : Podcast

Title remainder

Podcast

Contributor

• Linden, Sander van der
• Edmonds, David, 1964-

Host

• Edmonds, David, 1964-

Interviewee

• Linden, Sander van der

Interviewer

• Edmonds, David, 1964-

Subject

• Internet research
• Social media -- Social aspects
• Altruism -- Social aspects

Language

eng

Summary

About this Podcast: Social media users will have come across social campaigns which appeal to the morals of their audiences and ask for a small effort to support or propagate the campaign. 'Viral altruism' is a phenomenon whereby such campaigns cause a behaviour, which is then quickly spread through the network effect of social media. The prime example of this is the ALS ice bucket challenge. In this discussion social psychologist Sander van der Linden delves into the how and why of campaigns which result in viral altruism. "The idea," van der Linden says, "is that you can 'catch' altruism in a behavioral way. When someone acts altruistically online, you catch that behavior as a social contagion, which then causes you to adopt that behavior and encourage other people in your network to also engage in that behavior, which then spreads quickly and rapidly." van der Linden describes the mechanics of these processes using something he calls SMArT, which breaks down online altruistic efforts by their social influence, moral imperative, affective reactions, and translational impact. Using datasets of unique events, van der Linden has been able to find commonalities between viral campaigns. This knowledge has potential for leveraging digital networks for long-term engagement with issues such as climate change, though the short-lived nature of viral altruism may act as a barrier to this. His current research looks into the #MeToo movement to see if it fits into his model of viral altruism.--

Member of

• Social science bites

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Provided by Publisher

Series statement

• Social science bites
• SAGE research methods