Paper Number

ICIS2025-2328

Paper Type

Short

Abstract

Mainstream media outlets facilitate information flow about recent global events, thereby playing a crucial role in shaping public opinion and influencing societal norms. However, the discourse on these platforms often lacks a formal and courteous tone, particularly when reporting on sensitive or serious issues. Such derailed discourse can exhibit incivility, leading to polarized opinions among viewers. To the best of our knowledge, existing literature on news media does not sufficiently address the discourse analysis of toxic reporting or the non-verbal cues that may contribute to visual incivility. Drawing on the Montreal School’s concept of ventriloquism, this research seeks to identify the human and non-human actants within news commentary that may foster online incivility. A preliminary analysis of the discourse surrounding a YouTube video commentary on a terrorist attack reveals several forms of online incivility, including name-calling and xenophobia. The next steps and potential implications are discussed.

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Dec 14th, 12:00 AM

When News Turns Nasty: Exploring Online Incivility on YouTube Through the Lens of Ventriloquism

Mainstream media outlets facilitate information flow about recent global events, thereby playing a crucial role in shaping public opinion and influencing societal norms. However, the discourse on these platforms often lacks a formal and courteous tone, particularly when reporting on sensitive or serious issues. Such derailed discourse can exhibit incivility, leading to polarized opinions among viewers. To the best of our knowledge, existing literature on news media does not sufficiently address the discourse analysis of toxic reporting or the non-verbal cues that may contribute to visual incivility. Drawing on the Montreal School’s concept of ventriloquism, this research seeks to identify the human and non-human actants within news commentary that may foster online incivility. A preliminary analysis of the discourse surrounding a YouTube video commentary on a terrorist attack reveals several forms of online incivility, including name-calling and xenophobia. The next steps and potential implications are discussed.

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