Creating optimal online environments for civil discussion: how do indicators of community size affect perceptions of discussion civility?

David Eduardo Silva

Incivility on the Internet is often reported in communication research, but attempts to reduce anti-social behavior in online discussions have found limited effectiveness. This may be because what constitutes civil or uncivil behavior is reliant on community-specific social norms. This study tests whether these norms are related to features of the online discussion environment. To do this, an experimental design manipulated cues of discussion group size and then measured participants' perceptions of conversation tone and civility. Three main research questions guide the study. First, does the absence or presence of a group size indicator effect the perceptions of conversation civility? Second, if group size indicators provide important social information to online discussants, how are large groups different from small groups? After a review of the literature, it is expected that participants in large groups will perceive conversation norms as more accepting of incivility. Finally, this study asks if group size affects perception of conversation civility through the mediator of the participant's perception of conversation norms. The research design utilized a webpage presented to participants. In each experimental condition, the discussion group size was manipulated to either leave group size unknown, show a small group of approximately 20 individuals, or a large group of over 10000 individuals. After viewing the manipulation, participants (N = 123) completed a posttest measuring perception of social norms and perception of conversation civility. The analysis found a significant direct effect of group size indicators on perception of injunctive conversation norms, but not descriptive norms. Partial support was found for the effect group size indicators have on perceptions of conversation civility. The mediating role of conversation norms for the effect of group size on perception of civility was supported. These findings suggest conversation norms do not affect online communication behavior in a single, simple say. There is a significant connection between these constructs that should be further investigated. A simple element of the online environment has the potential to shape conversation interpretation and potentially interaction. Future studies are needed to test other elements of the online environment and the extent these elements affect perception and communication behavior.

Creating optimal online environments for civil discussion: how do indicators of community size affect perceptions of discussion civility?

Files and links (1)

Abstract

Metrics

Details