Final answer:
Digital emotional contagion on social media can be influenced by negative content, which may be amplified by websites to increase user engagement. This can lead to various negative impacts, including cyberbullying and the spread of misinformation, fundamentally altering social and political interactions.
Step-by-step explanation:
One feature of digital emotional contagion is that it influences social media users when they read or view negative content, leading to a potential spread of emotions through digital interactions. In contrast to choices a) and b) that suggest social media users are unaffected by content or do not experience emotional contagion, and c) which only partially addresses the influence of negative content, d) websites may increase the amount of emotional content users see because doing so appears to increase user engagement is the most encompassing choice. Not only does it address how the use of digital platforms can promote emotional contagion, but it also highlights why operators of such platforms may deliberately curate content that elicits stronger emotional responses.
Engagement with social media can also result in other negative impacts. This includes the potential of cyberbullying, which can happen incessantly and can be challenging to trace or remove once distributed. Moreover, social media's role in shaping social and political viewpoints, often without the traditional filters of journalism, can lead to bias and misinformation, as seen in various political events where social media played a central role in mobilizing action.