COMMENTS THAT HURT: INCIVILITY IN USER-GENERATED COMMENTS ABOUT MARGINALIZED GROUPS

Abstract

© 2022, Faculty of Social Sciences. All rights reserved.Latin America is currently going through a process of social transformation that directly affects how marginalized groups (such as LGBTQ+ and immigrants) are treated by hegem-onic groups. These transformations have not ended prejudice against marginalized groups, especially in the digital public sphere. This study examines the representation of marginal-ized groups in user-generated comments posted to a Chilean news outlet. By analyzing 1,176 news articles and 4,225 comments, we explored whether news coverage of minority-related topics fosters deliberative or uncivil discussions in online contexts. Our findings indicate marginalized groups are the target of offensive speech at higher rates than other groups, and comments tend to portray minorities negatively and stereotypically. We also found a disconnect between topics the news media find worth covering and topics users find worth discussing. Consequently, news organizations should revise the topics they devote more coverage to if they want to connect with their readers’ interests.