Despite its portrayal as a network that champions free speech, users of the social media platform Gab display more extreme social hierarchy and elitism when compared to Twitter users, according to a new study published in the online journal First Monday.
Researchers found a small number of Gab users hold a significant amount of influence, sharing more homogeneous content than Twitter, some of which was associated with state-sponsored propaganda.
The ongoing debate surrounding content regulation and the censorship of social media platforms has grown increasingly contentious in recent years. Despite this, little research has been done to understand the impact regulation might have on online behaviors.