Digital she-nanigans: Social media users’ response toward online hostilities targeting a female science communicator with marginalized identities

Author(s)
Melanie Saumer, Kevin Koban, Jörg Matthes
Abstract

Online hostility poses a growing societal challenge, yet quantitative evidence on how social media users respond to different kinds of hostility targeting different identities is limited, even though insights into bystander perceptions are detrimental to combat the online hate endemic. This online experiment (N = 461) examines cognitive (perceived acceptability), affective (negative emotions), and behavioral (intervention intentions) responses to varyingly hostile comments (impolite vs uncivil vs intolerant) directed at a female science communicator with different ethnic (Black vs White) and LGBTQIA+ identity cues (heterosexual vs homosexual vs trans), thus shedding light on intersectional identities comprising social group affiliations with varying levels of marginalization. While intolerance triggered stronger emotional reactions than impoliteness and incivility (likely due to its discriminatory nature), participants were, somewhat paradoxically, more inclined to act (and advocated for more institutional action) against incivility. Furthermore, ethnic cues had a much stronger influence than LGBTQIA+ identity cues across response domains.

Organisation(s)
Department of Communication
Journal
New Media & Society
No. of pages
24
ISSN
1461-4448
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251342242
Publication date
04-2025
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
508007 Communication science
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Communication, Sociology and Political Science
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/2dfa1007-fea2-4c1d-ada4-951207d454bb