Online toxicity silences the majority and fuels power users In online political discussions, a small fraction of highly active users typically generates the vast majority of content while most people silently observe. This vocal minority dominates the conversation, creating a distorted picture of public opinion that looks far more polarized than it actually is. In the modern attention economy of social media, extreme or hostile content often gains the most visibility. This creates a spiral of silence among most users A new experiment reveals that polite and constructive environments encourage silent readers to post their first comment, but the most active users are driven to post more when discussions become toxic. So being polite and constructive is the way to create a better environment. psypost.org/how-online-toxic…,