Overview
- Offers the first book-length study of incivility in computer-mediated interactions between members of the public, rather than newsmakers, politicians, or media pundits
- Synthesizes the growing body of peer-reviewed research on uncivil commenting and provides new knowledge through original research on three prominent topics in the news at this current moment to assess the impact on public debate
- Utilizes quantitative content analysis to examine real comments posted on news sites as well as an online quantitative experiment to test what influence online incivility in comments on these topics has on emotions and intention to participate politically
- Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
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About this book
This book investigates what influence online incivility—through user-generated comments on news websites—has on public debate. Built on the premise that public discussions about important topics are vital to a healthy democracy, the book analyzes 3,508 online comments in order to understand what factors in comments make them more susceptible to incivility, defined as nasty remarks rife with profanity. It also examines comments for attributes of deliberation, which are discussions across difference supported by evidence and rational arguments. Using an experiment, the book shows that uncivil comments jumpstart a chain reaction, leading first to negative emotion and then to greater intention to get politically involved. Overall, Online Incivility and Public Debate: Nasty Talk argues that while incivility mars online debate, it may also spark interest in important topics and allow for positive “deliberative moments” of quality discussion.
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Keywords
Table of contents (8 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Incivility and Why It Matters
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Front Matter
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Online Incivility: Three Examples in the News
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Front Matter
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Incivility and Political Participation
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Front Matter
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What This Means for Public Debate
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Reviews
“The analysis is fascinating and rather refreshingly new, both in the way it problematizes the issue and in terms of the methods adopted. The conclusions are valid. It is nice to have a book that evolves beyond philosophical conceptualizations of civility to more applied contexts.” (Zizi Papacharissi, Professor and Head, Communication, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Gina Masullo Chen, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the School of Journalism and Faculty Research Associate with the Engaging News Project at The University of Texas at Austin, USA. She is co-editor of Scandal in a Digital Age (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016). Her research focuses on online debate.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Online Incivility and Public Debate
Book Subtitle: Nasty Talk
Authors: Gina Masullo Chen
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56273-5
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media Studies, Literature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-56272-8Published: 10 July 2017
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-85872-2Published: 02 August 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-56273-5Published: 25 June 2017
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XV, 218
Number of Illustrations: 9 b/w illustrations
Topics: Media and Communication, Social Media, Democracy, Public Policy