Barriers to Participation in Polarized Online Discussions About Covid-19 and the Russo-Ukrainian War
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14230%2F23%3A00134148" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14230/23:00134148 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6657" target="_blank" >https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/6657</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.17645/mac.v11i3.6657" target="_blank" >10.17645/mac.v11i3.6657</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Barriers to Participation in Polarized Online Discussions About Covid-19 and the Russo-Ukrainian War
Original language description
Even though social networking sites create a unique online public space for the exchange of opinions, only a small share of citizens participate in online discussions. Moreover, research has depicted current online discussions as highly uncivil, hostile, and polarized, and the number of heated discussions has escalated in the last two years because of health, social, and security crises. This study investigates the perceived barriers to participation in Facebook discussions, focusing on two topics: the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russo-Ukrainian War. It explores the role that the negativity of these online discussions has on participation. To investigate the perspectives of users and their personal experiences with online discussions in times of crisis, we apply a qualitative research method and interviews with participants. We collected and analyzed 50 semi-structured interviews with Czech Facebook users who participated in discussions during the spring of 2021 (i.e., Covid-19) and the spring of 2022 (i.e., Russo-Ukrainian War). The results show that, after initial mobilization at the beginning of the pandemic, the crisis reinforced several crucial barriers to participation in discussions due to the perceived persistence of polarization (e.g., the spread of disinformation, the bipolar character of discussions, negative perception of opponents), which subsequently spread to other areas and issues. The data also implies that these barriers tend to demobilize less active participants, those who do not have strong opinions, and participants who think the subject matter is not worth the heated exchange of opinions.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
50802 - Media and socio-cultural communication
Result continuities
Project
<a href="/en/project/GA19-24724S" target="_blank" >GA19-24724S: Political polarization in the Czech Republic: The case of multi-party system</a><br>
Continuities
P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)
Others
Publication year
2023
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Media and Communication
ISSN
2183-2439
e-ISSN
2183-2439
Volume of the periodical
11
Issue of the periodical within the volume
3
Country of publishing house
PT - PORTUGAL
Number of pages
11
Pages from-to
274-284
UT code for WoS article
001157261800014
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-85168347680