More than just shouting? Distinguishing interpersonal-directed and elite-directed incivility in online political talk

Rossini, P. (2021) More than just shouting? Distinguishing interpersonal-directed and elite-directed incivility in online political talk. Social Media and Society, 7(2), (doi: 10.1177/20563051211008827)

Abstract

Online political talk is often deemed toxic to democracy due to the pervasiveness of incivility. This study challenges this perspective by examining the discursive and contextual conditions related to interpersonal incivility in contrast with incivility targeted at political elites on Facebook comments and news websites. Findings suggest that much of the vitriol online is targeted at politicians and characterized by justified opinions. Interpersonal incivility is associated with disagreement, but less likely to be associated with replies—suggesting that users refrain from uncivil direct confrontation. Taken together, these findings indicate that interpersonal-directed and elite-directed incivility are characterized by distinct discursive features and happen in opposite directions. Incivility is more than just shouting, and it is frequently used to criticize political elites and justify opinions than to attack others in a discussion. As such, it should not be inherently associated with toxic behaviors or be considered a problematic feature of online discussions.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This study was supported in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001.
• Keywords: social media, computer-mediated communication, political discussion, online incivility
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Rossini, Dr Patricia
• Authors: Rossini, P.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Politics
• Journal Name: Social Media and Society
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• ISSN: 2056-3051
• Published Online: 12 April 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © The Author(s) 2021
• First Published: First published in Social Media and Society 7(2)
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License