Fatima Alqabandi

PhD Candidate Sociology | MS Candidate Statistical Science | Computational Social Scientist

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fatima.alqabandi[at]duke.edu

Hi! I am a computational sociologist who focuses on the interplay between political polarization, public opinion, and online discourse. My work explores the the role of digital platforms in either bridging or deepening political divides. My specific interests lie in the dynamics that drive self-censorship and the expression of unspoken beliefs, particularly when interacting with extreme co- and cross-partisans. Using a combination of surveys, experiments, and simulated social media platforms populated with LLM-based bots, I explore under what conditions people are more or less likely to disclose their “true” opinions.

Another facet of my research examines how online user experiences shape perceptions of political content. A project I recently completed looks at how offering social media users more control over the content they consume shapes their attitudes about the content as well as the platforms themselves.

Outside of academia, I enjoy lifting weights, eating Szechuan food, and traveling. I’ve also just started dabbling in rowing.

Interests:

  • Quantitative methods
  • Causal inference
  • Social psychology
  • Communication
  • Spiral of silence
  • Public opinion
  • Political polarization
  • Social network analysis

selected publications

  1. ArXiv
    Outnumbered Online: An Experiment on Partisan Imbalance in a Dynamic Social Media Environment
    Max Allamong, Andrew Trexler, Fatima Alqabandi, Tina LaChapelle, Christopher A. Bail, D. Sunshine Hillygus, and Alexander Volfovsky
    2024
  2. ArXiv
    Pressure to Conform: Political Self-Censorship among Co-Partisans
    Fatima Alqabandi
    2023
  3. ArXiv
    Experiments Offering Social Media Users the Choice to Avoid Toxic Political Content
    Fatima Alqabandi, Graham Tierney, Christopher A. Bail, D. Sunshine Hillygus, and Alexander Volfovsky
    2023
  4. Sci. Rep.
    Perceived Gender and Political Persuasion: A Social Media Field Experiment during the 2020 US Democratic Presidential Primary Election
    Aidan Combs, Graham Tierney, Fatima Alqabandi, Devin Cornell, Gabriel Varela, Andrés Castro Araújo, Lisa P. Argyle, Christopher A. Bail, and Alexander Volfovsky
    Scientific Reports, 2023