Angry and Alone: Demographic Characteristics of Those Who Post to Online Comment Sections

Abstract

Abstract:The Internet and social media afford individuals the opportunity to post their thoughts instantaneously and largely without filters. While this has tremendous democratic potential, it also raises questions about the quality of the discourse these technological changes portend. Online comment sections may be a particularly unique form of communication within social media to investigate because of their ubiquitous and often anonymous nature. A longitudinal examination of Pew Center data over the course of 4 years suggests that there are demographic differences between people who post and those who do not post to online comment sections. Specifically, in 2008 and 2010 regression analysis demonstrates there is an increased likelihood of posting among men, the unmarried, and the unemployed. However, the 2012 data tells a different story and suggests the possibility that the nature of comment sections might be changing. The findings have important implications for understanding the character of online discourse as well as the vitriol undergirding the political attitudes of disaffected citizens.

Emerging practices for managing user misconduct in online news media comments sections

“…Even if there are other underlying factors involved in why social media has become such a dominant platform for news media's comments sections, comments made by interviewees in this study show that the lack of user anonymity has been a central factor. This claim is supported by research (Hille and Bakker, 2014;Artime, 2016).…”

“…Many of the channels responsible for our news diet have, in recent years, relocated much of their reader interactivity from their own websites to social media (Santana, 2014;Artime, 2016;Hong, 2012; Pew Research Center for the people and the press, 2010, 2016; Robinson, 2014;Weber, 2014), which has contributed to changing the ways in which news sources interact with readers (Hermida, 2010;Lee, 2015;Lee et al, 2017). A typical approach was to start with a simple presence on Facebook, where they linked to articles or made other updates.…”

“…The primary reason which is often given for why social media should supposedly bring an improved discussion climate is the loss of anonymity that comes with posting on a social media site such as Facebook (Hille and Bakker, 2014;Artime, 2016).…”

Anonymity and Inhibition in Newspaper Comments

“…Newspaper editors view comments as one of the most successful forms of audience interaction [18], and the intention is to continue supporting comment sections on online publications [19]. According to the Pew Research Center [20] about one in four Americans have contributed to comment sections. As many as 84% of newsreaders read comments, and studies have shown that reading comments can significantly affect readers' perception of public opinion, as well as change their personal opinion [21].…”

Get lost, troll: How accusations of trolling in newspaper comment sections affect the debate

“…Newspaper comment sections have been described as a staple of the online experience (Finley, 2015). With approximately 90 percent of news sites having some form of comment section (Stroud, et al, 2017) it has become possible for readers of almost any newspaper to share their views to a large audience and add their voices to public debates (Artime, 2016). Newspaper comment sections provide an arena for public debate and have been found to shape the opinions of the readers and influence how journalists work (Toepfl and Piwoni, 2015).…”