Censoring political opposition online: Who does it and why

Ashwini Ashokkumar; Sanaz Talaifar; William T. Fraser; Rodrigo Landabur; Michael Buhrmester; Ángel Gómez; Borja Paredes; William B. Swann

doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2020.104031

Censoring political opposition online: Who does it and why

Ashwini Ashokkumar, Sanaz Talaifar, William T. Fraser, Rodrigo Landabur, Michael Buhrmester, Ángel Gómez, Borja Paredes, William B. Swann

Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

As ordinary citizens increasingly moderate online forums, blogs, and their own social media feeds, a new type of censoring has emerged wherein people selectively remove opposing political viewpoints from online contexts. In three studies of behavior on putative online forums, supporters of a political cause (e.g., abortion or gun rights) preferentially censored comments that opposed their cause. The tendency to selectively censor cause-incongruent online content was amplified among people whose cause-related beliefs were deeply rooted in or “fused with” their identities. Moreover, six additional identity-related measures also amplified the selective censoring effect. Finally, selective censoring emerged even when opposing comments were inoffensive and courteous. We suggest that because online censorship enacted by moderators can skew online content consumed by millions of users, it can systematically disrupt democratic dialogue and subvert social harmony.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	104031
Journal	Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
Volume	91
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2020.104031
State	Published - Nov 2020

Keywords

Censorship
Identity fusion
Identity politics
Moderators
Selective censoring
Social media

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Social Psychology
Sociology and Political Science

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10.1016/j.jesp.2020.104031

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title = "Censoring political opposition online: Who does it and why",

abstract = "As ordinary citizens increasingly moderate online forums, blogs, and their own social media feeds, a new type of censoring has emerged wherein people selectively remove opposing political viewpoints from online contexts. In three studies of behavior on putative online forums, supporters of a political cause (e.g., abortion or gun rights) preferentially censored comments that opposed their cause. The tendency to selectively censor cause-incongruent online content was amplified among people whose cause-related beliefs were deeply rooted in or “fused with” their identities. Moreover, six additional identity-related measures also amplified the selective censoring effect. Finally, selective censoring emerged even when opposing comments were inoffensive and courteous. We suggest that because online censorship enacted by moderators can skew online content consumed by millions of users, it can systematically disrupt democratic dialogue and subvert social harmony.",

keywords = "Censorship, Identity fusion, Identity politics, Moderators, Selective censoring, Social media",

author = "Ashwini Ashokkumar and Sanaz Talaifar and Fraser, {William T.} and Rodrigo Landabur and Michael Buhrmester and {\'A}ngel G{\'o}mez and Borja Paredes and Swann, {William B.}",

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AU - Ashokkumar, Ashwini

AU - Talaifar, Sanaz

AU - Fraser, William T.

AU - Landabur, Rodrigo

AU - Buhrmester, Michael

AU - Gómez, Ángel

AU - Paredes, Borja

AU - Swann, William B.

PY - 2020/11

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N2 - As ordinary citizens increasingly moderate online forums, blogs, and their own social media feeds, a new type of censoring has emerged wherein people selectively remove opposing political viewpoints from online contexts. In three studies of behavior on putative online forums, supporters of a political cause (e.g., abortion or gun rights) preferentially censored comments that opposed their cause. The tendency to selectively censor cause-incongruent online content was amplified among people whose cause-related beliefs were deeply rooted in or “fused with” their identities. Moreover, six additional identity-related measures also amplified the selective censoring effect. Finally, selective censoring emerged even when opposing comments were inoffensive and courteous. We suggest that because online censorship enacted by moderators can skew online content consumed by millions of users, it can systematically disrupt democratic dialogue and subvert social harmony.

AB - As ordinary citizens increasingly moderate online forums, blogs, and their own social media feeds, a new type of censoring has emerged wherein people selectively remove opposing political viewpoints from online contexts. In three studies of behavior on putative online forums, supporters of a political cause (e.g., abortion or gun rights) preferentially censored comments that opposed their cause. The tendency to selectively censor cause-incongruent online content was amplified among people whose cause-related beliefs were deeply rooted in or “fused with” their identities. Moreover, six additional identity-related measures also amplified the selective censoring effect. Finally, selective censoring emerged even when opposing comments were inoffensive and courteous. We suggest that because online censorship enacted by moderators can skew online content consumed by millions of users, it can systematically disrupt democratic dialogue and subvert social harmony.

KW - Censorship

KW - Identity fusion

KW - Identity politics

KW - Moderators

KW - Selective censoring

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Censoring political opposition online: Who does it and why

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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