Abstract
Despite their positive effects in promoting participatory politics, digital publics have also manifested an offensive vernacular culture. This study takes a social network analytic approach to explain the contagion of offensive speech in online discussion contexts. The study examines four social interactional mechanisms underlying a user's adoption of political swearing: generalized reciprocity, direct reciprocity, leader-mimicry, and peer-mimicry. The empirical context of this study is a highly popular online discussion forum in Hong Kong. The study examines the effects of social interactional mechanisms on the occurrences of political swearing by analyzing five years of user comments. Findings show that peer-mimicry contributes to the contagion process the most, followed by generalized reciprocity and direct mimicry. The study demonstrates how individual-level speech behaviors spiral into a collective norm that potentially hinders a healthy discussion culture in mediated social spaces.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
