A framework of digital interventions for online prosocial behavior

Digital interventions for prosocial behavior, modifications in the design of a platform’s architecture or rules to foster prosocial interactions online, are increasingly researched by social scientists. However, academic insights remain largely underused by practitioners, reducing their impact on real world applications. In the present paper, we propose a conceptual framework for digital interventions. We classify them into three categories – proactive, interactive, and reactive – based on the timing of the intervention relative to the behavior being moderated. For each category, we present digital, scalable, automated, and scientifically tested interventions as directly applicable examples. The present framework may make existing scientific findings more accessible and, ultimately, more relevant to practitioners and the digital community, and can provide researchers with starting points for further scientific exploration.