Tales of conflict: narrative immersion and political aggression in the United States

Abstract

Instances of political incivility and aggression are becoming increasingly common in the United States. This manuscript contributes to our understanding of why partisans increasingly condone verbal aggression and antagonism by examining how immersion into media narratives about political conflict can affect a citizen's feelings of political efficacy. Three experimental studies were designed to test the expectations that when partisans are immersed in a news narrative about political battles, media depictions in which their party is likely to lose the battle should lead to lower levels of political efficacy, which then leads to increased acceptance of verbal aggression and support for political antagonism. Results in all three studies provided support for the moderated mediation model.

We (want to) believe in the best of men: A qualitative analysis of reactions to #Gillette on Twitter.

“…The forum was also used to discuss nationalism, political racism, or political affiliation. The Gillette advertisement was produced at a particularly polarized political moment, in which the topic of identity politics has dominated online discourse and deepened political divisions in an increasingly antagonistic media culture (McLaughlin, 2019; Post, 2019). Extant literature identifies the links between men’s rights movements and the resurgence of White nationalism in online spaces (Jong, 2014; Marwick & Caplan, 2018; Marwick & Lewis, 2017).…”

“Affective News” and Attitudes: A Multi-Topic Experiment of Attitude Impacts From Political News and Fiction

“…Results from the present study highlight how the affective news extended model can contribute to theorizing and understanding of political entertainment effects, along with other recent developments of theoretical frameworks on political narratives (McLaughlin et al, 2019). As it stands, both news and fiction have important implications for political attitudes and even conflict (McLaughlin, in press). It’s about time to tackle the gap in the literature regarding suspenseful political entertainment.…”

Can Political Orientation Explain the Social Structure of Online Aggression? Integrating Social Media and Survey Data

“…Distrustful people may choose to behave aggressively online as a last resort against what they regard as illegitimate or dysfunctional institutions. For them, aggressive and antagonistic means are necessary to reach their goals, whereas trusting citizens abide by democratic processes (McLaughlin 2020). In addition to this strategic motive, distrust may feed hostile ruminations and feelings of revenge, thereby diminishing moral self‐sanctions of aggressive behavior (Bandura 2016).…”