Waubonsee Community College

Online incivility and public debate, nasty talk, Gina Masullo Chen

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 195-213) and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Online incivility and public debate

bibliography

975367715

Gina Masullo Chen

nasty talk

"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."--Publisher's description

Part I. Incivility and why it matters. Introduction: incivility in today's world ; Online incivility and public discourse ; Nasty talk online -- Part II. Online incivility: three examples in the news. Can incivility and deliberation co-exist? ; Analyzing comments in the news -- Part III. Incivility and political participation. Incivility and speaking out ; Testing the "defensive effect" -- Part IV. What this means for public debate. Conclusion: where do we go from here?

Nasty talk