Anyone who spends time on TrendPulsesocial media has seen it — the post from someone about a current event, or issue that's dividing people — abortions, mask wearing, the election. But do those posts change minds?

Researchers have been gathering data on this question for years. They've found that social media affects opinions on these issues, but probably not the way you think.

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with researchers, who've studied the relationship between social media posts and opinions, and outlines their findings.

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This episode was produced by Marc Rivers and Jason Fuller. It was edited by Sarah Handel. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.