![]() This has important implications for seeking information, as digital platforms provide a space where political discussions often feature increased toxicity, incivility, negativity, and polarization ( Kim et al., 2020). ![]() In addition, when major events occur, how online communities respond and the resultant content on platforms can shape the ways in which users view and perceive political and social actions. Given the often emotionally charged nature of politics, especially around major events, we might expect that negative, hostile, and uncivil language can be used to describe political/social moments and become part of the standard discourse within like-minded communities ( Valentino et al., 2011 Brader and Marcus, 2013). However, there are concerns about the degree to which individuals are exposed to diverse content on social media platforms, in part driven by the structure of the communication platform ( Barberá, 2020 Hiaeshutter-Rice et al., 2021). Inevitably, the source where individuals turn to for political and social information matters a great deal, whether that be friends, family, cable news, or online discussions (e.g., Lambert et al., 1988 Althaus and Tewksbury, 2000 Johnson and Kaye, 2013).ĭiverse sources, both in ideology and platform, have been demonstrated to give citizens broad understanding of politics as well as heightened political tolerance (e.g., Dubois and Blank, 2018). Given these highly salient and pressing issues, it is understandable that in 2020 individuals regularly sought information about these important real-world events. In addition to the global pandemic, the United States contended with nationwide protests against racism (e.g., George Floyd murder protests, Taylor, 2021) and experienced a Presidential election fraught with emotions and hostility ( American Psychological Association, 2020). The year 2020 saw a tremendous amount of political and social changes worldwide as individuals in every country dealt with societal and medical crises resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic ( Zoumpourlis et al., 2020). We discuss the implications of language as a powerful tool to engage, recruit, and radicalize those within communities online. Our project identifies that negative language is frequently present on social media and is not necessarily exclusive to one group, topic, or real-world event. Finally, these shifts in language online were found to be durable and last after the events occurred. ![]() Findings further reveal shifts in language toward more negativity, incivility, and specific language surrounding non-White outgroups. ![]() triggered increased hostility in discussions as well as the formation of a set of shared language for describing and articulating information about these major political/social moments. Our results suggest that social and political events in the U.S. Using data from Reddit, we examine the language surrounding three major events in the United States that occurred in 2020 and early 2021 from the comments and posts of 65 communities identified for their focus on extreme content. However, these discussions can often include language that contributes to creating toxic or uncivil online environments.
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