Mission in polarized public social media interaction: Speaking out against injustice, standing up for truth, or loving your neighbor?

Abstract

This study examines polarized US-based public social media interaction in which at least some participants support positions on public policy, politics, or social ethics using scripture, theological reasoning, spiritual authority, or ethical reasoning within a broadly Christian framework. Specifically, it considers social media interaction among commenters on public posts, in which some of the participants manifest a mission of speaking out against injustice, standing up for truth, and/or loving their online neighbors. It finds that speaking out against injustice often includes an argument about the nature of truth, but that standing up for truth can be done on its own. It also finds no incidences of loving one’s neighbor in ways that the neighbor would recognize as love, in interactions studied to date. It concludes that humility and charity are called for, because of disagreements about both justice and truth. Note that this article and the uploaded research data include social media interactions that are homophobic and transphobic, as well as interactions that may hurt or offend conservative believers.