Read online comments about news stories or political events, and you’ll undoubtedly notice how quickly things devolve into an all-caps tirade. Why is that? Does bad behavior on one side beget even worse behavior from the other? Is contempt an inevitable component of online disagreement.
Curious about how we talk about climate change, I examined hundreds of exchanges of Facebook comments between people who agree with climate science and people who don’t.
I read and dissected 600 comments and tabulated data about the type of content posted, the manner in which it was said, and ultimately, if it all fostered a productive conversation. That research took place in early 2016, well before last fall’s elections and the inauguration of President Trump. That timing is important to mention, as the mood of online climate change communications may be different now, and as the national discourse sinks into even deeper polarization and ever-louder echo chambers.
The first part of this study found that Facebook comments are more polarized and more dismissive of climate science than overall public views in the U.S.
This part of analysis delved into the style and tone of online comments: Do the pro-science and contrarian camps exhibit different behaviors? How does the tenor of conversation reflect the online media outlet where it takes place?
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