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Article: Audience Design and Context Discrepancy: How Online Debates Lead to Opinion Polarization
Title | Audience Design and Context Discrepancy: How Online Debates Lead to Opinion Polarization |
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Authors | |
Keywords | China online interaction opinion polarization technical affordance |
Issue Date | 2019 |
Publisher | Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc.. The Journal's web site is located at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1533-8665 |
Citation | Symbolic Interaction, 2019, v. 42 n. 1, p. 70-97 How to Cite? |
Abstract | This article examines how the technical layout of some online platforms shapes the way individuals engage in public debate online. To do so, the research studies an empirical case of how public debating on Weibo—China’s equivalent to Twitter—leads to opinion polarization. The technical layout of Weibo strongly influences how users debate with others. The thread-based message structure fragments the interactional context, preventing users from gaining a clear picture about other discussants and the ongoing conversation. Weibo’s technical design, which enables simultaneous interactions with multiple audiences (of which many users are unaware), further complicates the debates. Consequently, users become confused about their audience and where their replies are targeted, and subsequent interpersonal tension sparks as they adopt interactive strategies (sharing personal experiences, adding situational elaborations, and seeking solidarity through opinion) to reduce this confusion. Ironically, these strategies often serve to further polarize opinions. A video abstract is available at https://youtu.be/U5qdm6eiQ1M. |
Persistent Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/10722/256391 |
ISSN | 2023 Impact Factor: 1.5 2023 SCImago Journal Rankings: 0.678 |
ISI Accession Number ID |
DC Field | Value | Language |
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dc.contributor.author | LIN, TZ | - |
dc.contributor.author | Tian, X | - |
dc.date.accessioned | 2018-07-20T06:33:55Z | - |
dc.date.available | 2018-07-20T06:33:55Z | - |
dc.date.issued | 2019 | - |
dc.identifier.citation | Symbolic Interaction, 2019, v. 42 n. 1, p. 70-97 | - |
dc.identifier.issn | 0195-6086 | - |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10722/256391 | - |
dc.description.abstract | This article examines how the technical layout of some online platforms shapes the way individuals engage in public debate online. To do so, the research studies an empirical case of how public debating on Weibo—China’s equivalent to Twitter—leads to opinion polarization. The technical layout of Weibo strongly influences how users debate with others. The thread-based message structure fragments the interactional context, preventing users from gaining a clear picture about other discussants and the ongoing conversation. Weibo’s technical design, which enables simultaneous interactions with multiple audiences (of which many users are unaware), further complicates the debates. Consequently, users become confused about their audience and where their replies are targeted, and subsequent interpersonal tension sparks as they adopt interactive strategies (sharing personal experiences, adding situational elaborations, and seeking solidarity through opinion) to reduce this confusion. Ironically, these strategies often serve to further polarize opinions. A video abstract is available at https://youtu.be/U5qdm6eiQ1M. | - |
dc.language | eng | - |
dc.publisher | Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc.. The Journal's web site is located at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1533-8665 | - |
dc.relation.ispartof | Symbolic Interaction | - |
dc.rights | Postprint This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: [Symbolic Interaction, 2019, v. 42 n. 1, p. 70-97], which has been published in final form at [http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/symb.381]. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. | - |
dc.subject | China | - |
dc.subject | online interaction | - |
dc.subject | opinion polarization | - |
dc.subject | technical affordance | - |
dc.subject | - | |
dc.title | Audience Design and Context Discrepancy: How Online Debates Lead to Opinion Polarization | - |
dc.type | Article | - |
dc.identifier.email | Tian, X: xltian@hku.hk | - |
dc.identifier.authority | Tian, X=rp01543 | - |
dc.description.nature | postprint | - |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1002/symb.381 | - |
dc.identifier.scopus | eid_2-s2.0-85050599657 | - |
dc.identifier.hkuros | 285930 | - |
dc.identifier.volume | 42 | - |
dc.identifier.issue | 1 | - |
dc.identifier.spage | 70 | - |
dc.identifier.epage | 97 | - |
dc.identifier.isi | WOS:000457720000005 | - |
dc.publisher.place | United States | - |
dc.identifier.issnl | 0195-6086 | - |