Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered profound societal changes, extending beyond its health impacts to the moralization of behaviors. Leveraging insights from moral psychology, this study delves into the moral fabric shaping online discussions surrounding COVID-19 over a span of nearly two years. Our investigation identifies four distinct user groups characterized by differences in morality, political ideology, and communication styles. We underscore the intricate relationship between moral differences and political ideologies, revealing a nuanced picture where moral orientations do not rigidly separate users politically. Furthermore, we uncover patterns of moral homophily within the social network, highlighting the existence of one potential moral echo chamber. Analyzing the moral themes embedded in messages, we observe that moral diversity and moral plurality resonate more effectively with out-group …

Date

2025

Authors

Julie Jiang, Luca Luceri, Emilio Ferrara

Book

Companion Proceedings of the ACM on Web Conference 2025

Pages

2642-2650