Tool for Online Discussions (TOD): A New Experimental Research Platform to Examine Live User Interactions on Social Media

This letter introduces the Tool for Online Discussions (TOD), a mock socialmedia platform that advances the capabilities of experimental research tools byoffering real-time, dynamic participant interaction—a feature currently absent inmost other mock platforms. TOD’s distinctive attribute lies in its live interactiondesign and the integration of other live elements like pop-ups, which closely mimics the interactive nature of genuine social media, moving beyond the mostly static interfaces of current research tools. The platform is evaluated through a preregistered experiment with 589 participants, probing the effects of content moderation on user perceptions. TOD’s deployment reveals enhanced possibilities for investigating the mechanisms of social media dynamics, positioning it as an invaluable resource for researchers needing a more immersive, controlled and interactive environment to study online social behaviors.