New study shows just how Facebook's algorithm shapes conservative and liberal bubbles

A large video monitor on the campus of Meta, Facebook's parent company, in Menlo Park, Calif. in February. New research about Facebook shows its impact on political polarization. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Is Facebook exacerbating America's political divide? Are viral posts, algorithmically ranked feeds, and partisan echo chambers driving us apart? Do conservatives and liberals exist in ideological bubbles online?

New research published Thursday attempts to shed light on these questions. Four peer-reviewed studies, appearing in the journals Science and Nature, are the first results of a long-awaited, repeatedly delayed collaboration between Facebook and Instagram parent Meta and 17 outside researchers.