Negativity trumps positivity on social media, research suggests

Researchers looked at social media posts from across the political spectrum (Nick Ansell/PA)

Political social media posts are more likely to go viral if they criticise an opponent rather than support a colleague or a view from their side of politics, a study has suggested.

Researchers studied nearly three million tweets and Facebook posts from US media outlets and politicians and found those mocking rivals received twice as many shares as those backing a person or standpoint from their own side of the political divide.