The Toxicity Phenomenon Across Social Media

Abstract: Social media platforms have evolved rapidly in modernity without strong regulation. One clear obstacle faced by current users is that of toxicity. Toxicity on social media manifests through a number of forms, including harassment, negativity, misinformation or other means of divisiveness. In this paper, we characterize literature surrounding toxicity, formalize a definition of toxicity, propose a novel cycle of internet extremism, list current approaches to toxicity detection, outline future directions to minimize toxicity in future social media endeavors, and identify current gaps in research space. We present a novel perspective of the negative impacts of social media platforms and fill a gap in literature to help improve the future of social media platforms.