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

Michael Artime
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Michael Artime: Department of Politics & Government, Pacific Lutheran University, 12180 Park Avenue South, Tacoma, WA 98447, USA

Social Sciences, 2016, vol. 5, issue 4, 1-11

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.

Keywords: social media; new media; internet; political participation; civic participation; elections; campaigns; politics; mass media (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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