Abstract
Debates on Facebook are frequently accused of being too emotional, and rational arguments give way to anger, outrage, and polarisation. Emotions are often juxtaposed against reasoning in public deliberation, as they are not considered rational but coercive in nature. However, others would argue that emotions have a specific function in public discussion, as, for example, they can make an argument more genuine or trigger empathy. Considering that social network sites, such as Facebook, are designed to favour emotional engagement, it becomes clear that more understanding is needed about the experience of emotions in such debates. Based on 30 in-depth interviews, this study explores how emotions in Facebook debates are experienced and negotiated by Norwegian women. The findings show that while some emotions are disliked and considered non-conductive, other emotions are employed strategically. Moreover, the analysis demonstrates how the use and negotiation of emotions can be understood as emotion work.
Highlights
Social network sites, such as Facebook, are often discussed as spaces where public debate can take place, even if it is disputed how well such debates function from a democratic perspective (Neuman et al, 2011; Papacharissi, 2002; Rojas & Puig-i-Abril, 2009; Storsul, 2014; Van Dijck, 2012)
This study followed two lines of enquiry based on the assumption that women have a particular relationship with the emotional expres sions that are part of public discourse on Facebook
The emotion work of taking responsibility can be nonobservable to others and might be ignored in terms of partic ipation
Summary
Social network sites, such as Facebook, are often discussed as spaces where public debate can take place, even if it is disputed how well such debates function from a democratic perspective (Neuman et al, 2011; Papacharissi, 2002; Rojas & Puig-i-Abril, 2009; Storsul, 2014; Van Dijck, 2012). Facebook is an emotional landscape with an architecture and culture of sharing built on emotions It is a space that “challenges conventional divides between the private and the public, the individual and the collective, and the personal and the political” By extension, it is a space where users need to negotiate more than one set of norms. This study explores how female Facebook users experience this potentially challenging public space, emphasising the role of emotion. Two lines of enquiry were followed: how women experience emotions in public discourse on Facebook and how women negotiate and strategi cally employ emotions when posting or taking part in public discourse on Facebook
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Published Version
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