# Social Approval and Network Homophily as Motivators of Online Toxicity

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.07779 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.07779/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 11 Oct 2023.

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [Social-LLM: Modeling User Behavior at Scale using Language Models and Social Network Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.00893/) (2023)
- [NaijaHate: Evaluating Hate Speech Detection on Nigerian Twitter Using Representative Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.19260/) (2024)
- [Harm in AI-Driven Societies: An Audit of Toxicity Adoption on Chirper.ai](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.01090/) (2026)
- [Testing Hypotheses from the Social Approval Theory of Online Hate: An Analysis of 110 Million Messages from Parler](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.10810/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Online hate messaging is a pervasive issue plaguing the well-being of social media users. This research empirically investigates a novel theory positing that online hate may be driven primarily by the pursuit of social approval rather than a direct desire to harm the targets. Results show that toxicity is homophilous in users' social networks and that a user's propensity for hostility can be predicted by their social networks. We also illustrate how receiving greater or fewer social engagements in the form of likes, retweets, quotes, and replies affects a user's subsequent toxicity. We establish a clear connection between receiving social approval signals and increases in subsequent toxicity. Being retweeted plays a particularly prominent role in escalating toxicity. Results also show that not receiving expected levels of social approval leads to decreased toxicity. We discuss the important implications of our research and opportunities to combat online hate.