DOCSLIB.ORG

The Impact of Sexist Rhetoric on Women's Participation in News Comments Sections

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Impact of Sexist Rhetoric on Women's Participation in News Comments Sections ii ABSTRACT The introduction of the comments section to online news articles enabled new forms of interaction, allowing readers to participate directly in the conversation. Scholars have hailed the comments sections as digital public spheres of democratic discourse. However, scant research has been done on how sexist rhetoric affects women’s ability to participate in online discourse, despite research indicating that such rhetoric is a problem. This thesis project draws connections between research on the comments sections, uninhibited behavior and flaming, cybersexism, and women’s participation in discourse to look at the impact of sexist rhetoric. I conduct a close reading of comments from BuzzFeed, MSNBC, and Fox News, analyzing the material using feminist and sociological rhetorical criticism. I argue that the presence of sexist rhetoric leads to a reduction in women’s participation in the comments and negative effects on women’s agency within the comments. Findings include consistent patterns of sexist rhetoric on all three sites, and consistent patterns of responses from women, the most predominant of which is silence. If the comments are to meet the ideal of a democratic public sphere, then the role of sexist rhetoric must be understood and mitigated. iii DEDICATION For all the women who make themselves heard, and those we haven’t yet listened to. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am grateful to my thesis committee for working with me on asking interesting questions and trusting me to figure out how to find the answers, and to my fellow MARW students for their feedback and camaraderie during the writing process. Finally, I am indebted to my family, as we have weathered and continue to weather life’s stormier moments together. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION......................................................................................... 1 Background of the Problem ...................................................................................... 4 Rationale & Significance of the Study...................................................................... 14 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................. 14 Theoretical Framework............................................................................................. 16 Research Questions................................................................................................... 17 Definition of Terms................................................................................................... 17 Ethical Considerations .............................................................................................. 20 Delimitations............................................................................................................. 21 Limitations ................................................................................................................ 21 Researcher Bias......................................................................................................... 23 CHAPTER II. LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................ 24 Comments Sections................................................................................................... 26 Uninhibited Behavior and Flaming........................................................................... 32 Cybersexism: Sexism Online.................................................................................... 39 Women’s Participation in Discourse ........................................................................ 46 Summary................................................................................................................... 51 CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................... 52 Overview of Methodology........................................................................................ 52 Basis for Methods Used............................................................................................ 54 Commentators........................................................................................................... 57 vi Websites Studied....................................................................................................... 57 Data Collection ......................................................................................................... 60 Data Analysis............................................................................................................ 62 Summary................................................................................................................... 64 CHAPTER IV. RESULTS................................................................................................... 66 Instrument Validity and Reliability .......................................................................... 66 Websites.................................................................................................................... 67 Sexist Rhetoric.......................................................................................................... 72 Women’s Responses to Sexist Rhetoric ................................................................... 94 Summary................................................................................................................... 110 CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................... 112 Websites.................................................................................................................... 113 Sexist Rhetoric.......................................................................................................... 114 Women’s Responses to Sexist Rhetoric ................................................................... 119 Limitations ................................................................................................................ 123 Recommendations for Future Research.................................................................... 125 Conclusions............................................................................................................... 126 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................... 130 APPENDIX A. Total Comments on Selected Websites and Articles ................................. 134 APPENDIX B. Comments Sections for Buzzfeed, Fox News, and MSNBC..................... 137 vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Breakdown of Comments Drawn From BuzzFeed, Fox News, and MSNBC.......... 67 1 CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION The introduction of news media to online spaces drastically changed the ways journalists and readers interact. Traditional print and broadcast media offer limited points of connection for audiences to respond to and communicate with publishers, writers, and one another: few letters to the editor make their way past the screening process to print, for example, and are often selected in alignment with the biases of the paper or the editorial group (McCluskey and Hmielowski 2011). Creating comments sections online for feedback on news articles altered the discursive landscape, allowing readers to offer instantaneous responses not only to the article, but also to each other (Weber 2013, Ruiz et al 2011). Although newspapers moderate their online comments, moderation often affects only the types of comments deemed most noxious (such as those that contain overt threats, hate speech, or spam), and participation in online comments sections provides fewer and weaker barriers to engagement than writing and mailing a physical letter to the editor (Diakopoulos and Naaman 2011). The proliferation of comments sections has meant that the role of historical gatekeepers, such as editors, has been reduced; discourse communities can now form in the comments sections themselves, and participants can develop their own methods of encouraging and limiting certain forms of participation. During the past decade and a half, academic attention to comments sections has been focused largely on how such spaces expand the discourse available to consumers of news media. Comments sections are often framed as hallmarks of democratic debate, in line with Habermas’ theory of the public sphere (Ruiz et al 2011, McCluskey and Hmielowski 2011). Enabling individuals to comment on news articles online is described as a leveling of the playing field that enhances the democratic nature of online discussion. McCluskey and Hmielowski (2011) discussed anonymity in comments sections as a way for marginalized writers, such as women 2 and other minority groups, to make themselves heard in ways they might not be comfortable with in traditional print media. Comments sections are thus seen as online discourse communities forming in response to news articles, which provide a space for new perspectives to be aired. In addition to assessing the comments sections, scholarly attention has long been turned towards conflict in online spaces. Despite this attention, studies on conflict online, including those that look at rudeness, hostility, flaming, and other negative forms of interaction, rarely focus on how the rhetorical environment of the comments silences certain forms of discourse or certain speakers. Flaming, for example, is often positioned as a minor problem in online communities—expected, perhaps at times unpleasant, but ultimately insignificant
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Cyberbullying and Ohio Schools: a Social Justice Framework to Understand and Create Change Lorri A
    Cyberbullying and Ohio Schools: A Social Justice Framework to Understand and Create Change Lorri A. Gerwig-Parker Donna Tromski-Klingshirn Rebecca Kolssak Joshua D. Miller Wright State University Abstract In 2019, 36.5% of students, age 12-17, reported that they were cyberbullied at some point in their life. Cyberbullying is a growing problem within Ohio. Self-mutilation, attempted suicide, and death have been linked to victims of cyberbullying. Within Ohio, there are also legal implications for schools to consider. Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems framework, different types of cyberbullies, bullying practices, and proposed solutions for cyberbullying can be addressed in a more comprehensive manner within the schools. Ultimately, schools can be the vanguards for social justice, creating the cultural shift to end cyberbullying and its devastating effects on victims. Keywords: cyberbullying, school administration and faculty, adolescents, social justice, ecological model Cyberbullying, also known as e-bullying or digital harassment, has grown from a technological possibility to a universal problem among communities of young people within the past two decades. Adolescent populations have both high rates of victimization and potentially severe consequences to their mental and physical health. Hinduja and Patchin (2019) indicated that 36.5% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 in the United States reported being cyberbullied at least once. Further, according to Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center (2019) only 33% of adolescent victims
    [Show full text]
  • Sociotechnical Security As an Analytic Framework
    Entanglements and Exploits: Sociotechnical Security as an Analytic Framework Data & Society Research Institute Columbia University Matt Goerzen, ​ ​Elizabeth Anne Watkins, ​ Open Technology Fund Research Fellow Gabrielle Lim, ​ Abstract Unfortunately, platform-linked violence like the incidents in The rise of social media platforms has produced novel Christchurch and San Diego are not uncommon and are security threats and vulnerabilities. Malicious actors can unlikely to subside in the near future. Other forms of now exploit entanglements of once disparate technical and problematic and potentially dangerous content also social systems to target exposed communities. These proliferate. False and misleading content distributed on exploits pose a challenge to legacy security frameworks Whatsapp in India led to the murders of over two dozen drawn from technical and state-based conceptions of people in 2018 (Goel et al., 2018). The genocide of the referent objects and bounded information systems. In this Rohyinga in Myanmar was partially incited by the military paper we propose a new framework of analysis to meet this through disinformation and false accounts on Facebook challenge, Sociotechnical Security (STsec), which (Mozur, 2018). Facebook usage may also correlate with acknowledges how the interplay between actors produces higher rates of anti-refugee attacks in Germany (Müller and emergent threats to participant communities. This Schwarz 2018). Meanwhile, targeted harassment has been exploratory paper offers an overview of sociotechnical linked to self-censorship and a chilling effect on systems, explains why these threats and vulnerabilities internet-based communications (UN Office of the High require us to expand our understanding of security with Commissioner, 2017). Amnesty International in 2018, for regards to participatory technology, and how sociotechnical example, declared Twitter trolling of women a human rights security can be operationalized as a framework for analysis.
    [Show full text]
  • Deciphering L33tspeak
    Ghent University Faculty of Arts and Philosophy Thesis Deciphering L33t5p34k Internet Slang on Message Boards Supervisor: Master Paper submitted in partial fulfilment of Prof. Anne-Marie Simon-Vandenbergen the requirements for the degree of ―Master in de Taal- en Letterkunde – Afstudeerrichting: Engels‖ By Eveline Flamand 2007-2008 i Acknowledgements I would like to thank my promoter, professor Anne-Marie Vandenbergen, for agreeing on supervising this perhaps unconventional thesis. Secondly I would like to mention my brother, who recently graduated as a computer engineer and who has helped me out when my knowledge on electronic technology did not suffice. Niels Cuelenaere also helped me out by providing me with some material and helping me with a Swedish translation. The people who came up to me and told me they would like to read my thesis, have encouraged me massively. In moments of doubt, they made me realize that there is an audience for this kind of research, which made me even more determined to finish this thesis successfully. Finally, I would also like to mention the members of the Filologica forum, who have been an inspiration for me. ii Index 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 2. Methodology ......................................................................................................................... 1 2.1 4chan ...............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Freedom on the Net 2016
    FREEDOM ON THE NET 2016 China 2015 2016 Population: 1.371 billion Not Not Internet Freedom Status Internet Penetration 2015 (ITU): 50 percent Free Free Social Media/ICT Apps Blocked: Yes Obstacles to Access (0-25) 18 18 Political/Social Content Blocked: Yes Limits on Content (0-35) 30 30 Bloggers/ICT Users Arrested: Yes Violations of User Rights (0-40) 40 40 TOTAL* (0-100) 88 88 Press Freedom 2016 Status: Not Free * 0=most free, 100=least free Key Developments: June 2015 – May 2016 • A draft cybersecurity law could step up requirements for internet companies to store data in China, censor information, and shut down services for security reasons, under the aus- pices of the Cyberspace Administration of China (see Legal Environment). • An antiterrorism law passed in December 2015 requires technology companies to cooperate with authorities to decrypt data, and introduced content restrictions that could suppress legitimate speech (see Content Removal and Surveillance, Privacy, and Anonymity). • A criminal law amendment effective since November 2015 introduced penalties of up to seven years in prison for posting misinformation on social media (see Legal Environment). • Real-name registration requirements were tightened for internet users, with unregistered mobile phone accounts closed in September 2015, and app providers instructed to regis- ter and store user data in 2016 (see Surveillance, Privacy, and Anonymity). • Websites operated by the South China Morning Post, The Economist and Time magazine were among those newly blocked for reporting perceived as critical of President Xi Jin- ping (see Blocking and Filtering). www.freedomonthenet.org FREEDOM CHINA ON THE NET 2016 Introduction China was the world’s worst abuser of internet freedom in the 2016 Freedom on the Net survey for the second consecutive year.
    [Show full text]
  • Fifteen Minutes of Unwanted Fame: Detecting and Characterizing Doxing
    Fifteen Minutes of Unwanted Fame: Detecting and Characterizing Doxing Peter Snyder Periwinkle Doerfler University of Illinois at Chicago New York University Chicago, IL Brooklyn, NY psnyde2@uic:edu pid207@nyu:edu Chris Kanich Damon McCoy University of Illinois at Chicago New York University Chicago, IL Brooklyn, NY ckanich@uic:edu mccoy@nyu:edu ABSTRACT KEYWORDS Doxing is online abuse where a malicious party harms another Doxing, Identity Theft, Online Abuse by releasing identifying or sensitive information. Motivations for ACM Reference Format: doxing include personal, competitive, and political reasons, and Peter Snyder, Periwinkle Doerfler, Chris Kanich, and Damon McCoy. 2017. web users of all ages, genders and internet experience have been Fifteen Minutes of Unwanted Fame: Detecting and Characterizing Doxing. targeted. Existing research on doxing is primarily qualitative. This In Proceedings of IMC ’17. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 13 pages. work improves our understanding of doxing by being the first to https://doi:org/10:1145/3131365:3131385 take a quantitative approach. We do so by designing and deploying a tool which can detect dox files and measure the frequency, content, targets, and effects of doxing on popular dox-posting sites. 1 INTRODUCTION This work analyzes over 1.7 million text files posted to paste- Doxing is an attack where a victim’s private information is released bin.com, 4chan.org and 8ch.net, sites frequently used to publicly online [33]. While unsophisticated at a technical level, share doxes online, over a combined period of approximately thir- this type of attack can cause substantial harm to its victims. These teen weeks.
    [Show full text]
  • ABSTRACT the Rhetorical Construction of Hacktivism
    ABSTRACT The Rhetorical Construction of Hacktivism: Analyzing the Anonymous Care Package Heather Suzanne Woods, M.A. Thesis Chairperson: Leslie A. Hahner, Ph.D. This thesis uncovers the ways in which Anonymous, a non-hierarchical, decentralized online collective, maintains and alters the notion of hacktivism to recruit new participants and alter public perception. I employ a critical rhetorical lens to an Anonymous-produced and –disseminated artifact, the Anonymous Care Package, a collection of digital how-to files. After situating Anonymous within the broader narrative of hacking and activism, this thesis demonstrates how the Care Package can be used to constitute a hacktivist identity. Further, by extending hacktivism from its purely technological roots to a larger audience, the Anonymous Care Package lowers the barrier for participation and invites action on behalf of would-be members. Together, the contents of the Care Package help constitute an identity for Anonymous hacktivists who are then encouraged to take action as cyberactivists. The Rhetorical Construction of Hacktivism: Analyzing the Anonymous Care Package by Heather Suzanne Woods, B.A. A Thesis Approved by the Department of Communication David W. Schlueter, Ph.D., Chairperson Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Baylor University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Approved by the Thesis Committee Leslie A. Hahner, Ph.D., Chairperson Martin J. Medhurst, Ph.D. James M. SoRelle, Ph.D. Accepted by the Graduate School May 2013 J. Larry Lyon, Ph.D., Dean Page bearing signatures is kept on file in the Graduate School Copyright © 2013 by Heather Suzanne Woods All rights reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Ambivalent Power of the Internet in Chinese Democratisation
    The Liberating Potential of the Web?: The Ambivalent Power of the Internet in Chinese Democratisation Junyue Tan MASTER OF ARTS (THESIS ONLY) December 2017 School of Social and Political Science Faculty of Arts The University of Melbourne ORCID: 0000-0002-9279-6311 Abstract To what extent does the internet contribute to democratisation in China? This thesis tests competing answers to this question. It does so by critically bridging the views that frame the internet as a revolutionary force (or an inherently liberating power) and the views that dismiss its potential to democratise authoritarian states. The study contributes to the academic discourse on the liberating potential of the internet. Specifically, does the internet act as a revolutionary power which can guarantee a transition to democracy in China or bring about fundamental, unprecedented democratic processes? And if it does not, then, how does the internet promote and, at the same time, hamper democratisation in China? To better understand such mechanisms, it is necessary to examine the dynamic power competition between the government and the people over ideological control/independence. For its main case study, the thesis examines how the proliferation of the internet in China triggers fears of the government about the so-called Westernisation. This concern has emerged since 2011 and reached a peak in 2014. Being embedded in the Chinese context and analysed from its historical evolution, this concern about Westernisation suggests that the government is in fact worrying about its legitimacy and control over ideology. Focussing on this case study and using a methodology of comparative historical analysis, the thesis argues that the role of the internet in fostering democracy in China is not revolutionary but essentially an ambivalent one.
    [Show full text]
  • Far-Right Violent Extremism As a Failure of Status: Extremist Manifestos Through the Lens of Ressentiment Sophie Kaldor
    Far-Right Violent Extremism as a Failure of Status: Extremist Manifestos through the Lens of Ressentiment Sophie Kaldor i Far-Right Violent Extremism as a Failure of Status: A New Approach to Extremist Manifestos through the Lens of Ressentiment Sophie Kaldor ICCT Research Paper May 2021 ii About ICCT The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague (ICCT) is an independent think and do tank providing multidisciplinary policy advice and practical, solution-oriented implementation support on prevention and the rule of law, two vital pillars of effective counter- terrorism. ICCT’s work focuses on themes at the intersection of countering violent extremism and criminal justice sector responses, as well as human rights-related aspects of counter-terrorism. The major project areas concern countering violent extremism, rule of law, foreign fighters, country and regional analysis, rehabilitation, civil society engagement and victims’ voices. Functioning as a nucleus within the international counter-terrorism network, ICCT connects experts, policymakers, civil society actors and practitioners from different fields by providing a platform for productive collaboration, practical analysis, and exchange of experiences and expertise, with the ultimate aim of identifying innovative and comprehensive approaches to preventing and countering terrorism. Licensing and Distribution ICCT publications are published in open access format and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivatives License, which permits
    [Show full text]
  • The Oxygen of Amplification Better Practices for Reporting on Extremists, Antagonists, and Manipulators Online
    The Oxygen of Amplification Better Practices for Reporting on Extremists, Antagonists, and Manipulators Online By Whitney Phillips EXECUTIVE SUMMARY MAPPING THE MEDIA ECOSYSTEM We live in a time where new forms of power are emerging, where social and digital media are being leveraged to reconfigure the information landscape. This new domain requires journalists to take what they know about abuses of power and media manipulation in traditional information ecosystems and apply that knowledge to networked actors, such as white nationalist networks online. These actors create new journalistic stumbling blocks that transcend attempts to manipulate reporters solely to spin a beneficial narrative – which reporters are trained to decode – and instead represent a larger effort focused on spreading hateful ideology and other false and misleading narratives, with news coverage itself harnessed to fuel hate, confusion, and discord. The choices reporters and editors make about what to cover and how to cover it play a key part in regulating the amount of oxygen supplied to the falsehoods, antagonisms, and manipulations that threaten to overrun the contemporary media ecosystem—and, simultaneously, threaten to undermine democratic discourse more broadly. This context demands that journalists and the newsrooms that support them examine with greater scrutiny how these actors and movements endeavor to subvert journalism norms, practices, and objectives. More importantly, journalists, editors, and publishers must determine how the journalistic rule set must be strengthened and fortified against this newest form of journalistic manipulation—in some cases through the rigorous upholding of long-standing journalistic principles, and in others, by recognizing which practices and structural limitations make reporters particularly vulnerable to manipulation.
    [Show full text]
  • Hate and Violent Extremism from an Online Sub-Culture the Yom Kippur Terrorist Attack in Halle, Germany
    Website: ohpi.org.au Facebook: facebook.com/onlinehate Twitter: twitter.com/OnlineHate E-mail: [email protected] Hate and Violent Extremism from an Online Sub-Culture The Yom Kippur Terrorist Attack in Halle, Germany DRAFT FOR CONSULTATION NOT FOR FURTHER RELEASE Copyright ©2019 Online Hate Prevention Institute Report: IR19-4 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Andre Oboler, William Allington and Patrick Scolyer-Gray Consultation Notes This version of the report is a draft for consultation with stakeholders prior to the release of the final report. All content, including findings and recommendations, are subject to further change as a result of the consultation process. • We invite stakeholders with direct knowledge of the facts described in this report to bring any errors or omissions to our attention. • We invite stakeholders and experts who disagree with a finding or recommendation to provide a brief counter argument. We will consider this and decide if the content ought to be revised. In case we decide not to revise our content, please indicate if you would be willing for your counter view to be included, and if so, what attribution you would like (your name, company / organisation name, anonymous etc) • We invite all stakeholders receiving this to provide a brief statement of support for this report. Such statements can: o Express support for specific aspects of the report o Welcome the contribution to the field without specifically endorsing the content o Raise other related ideas or recommendations Examples of such statements can be seen in our report on Islamophobia in 2013: https://ohpi.org.au/islamophobia-on-the-internet-the-growth-of-online-hate-targeting- muslims/ Feedback and statements are requested by December 12th.
    [Show full text]
  • Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy the Many Faces of Anonymous
    hacker, hoaxer, whistleblower, spy the many faces of anonymous Gabriella Coleman London • New York Hacker Hoaxer Whistleblower 2015 PB 13-08-15.indd 3 8/13/2015 3:44:42 PM Epilogue: The State of Anonymous “I have grown to love secrecy. It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvelous to us. The commonest thing is delightful if only one hides it.” Oscar Wilde “The political education of apolitical technical people is extra ordinary.” Julian Assange he period described in this book may seem to many to represent the pinnacle of Anonymous activity: their Tsupport role in the various movements that constituted the Arab Spring; the high-profile media attention garnered by the gutsy LulzSec and AntiSec hacks; the ever growing com- mitment to domestic social justice issues seen in engagements against rape culture and police brutality. Unsurprisingly, this impressive flurry of protest activity was met with similarly impressive law enforcement crackdowns. Throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas, law enforcement officials detained over one hundred Anonymous activists—including many of the figures profiled in this book: Jeremy Hammond and John Borell in the United States, and Ryan Ackroyd and Mustafa Al-Bassam in the United Hacker Hoaxer Whistleblower 2015 PB 13-08-15.indd 401 8/13/2015 3:44:54 PM 402 hacker, hoaxer, whistleblower, spy Kingdom. Others arrested were geeky activists whose “crime” had been to simply channel a small portion of their computer resources toward DDoS campaigns organized by Anonymous in an effort to collectively shame financial organizations, such as PayPal when they caved to government pressure and terminated all services to the embattled whistleblowing organ- ization WikiLeaks.
    [Show full text]
  • Game Geek's Goss: Linguistic Creativity in Young Males Within An
    Australian Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society Vol. 3, No. 2, 2005, pp: 77-86 Game Geek’s Goss: Linguistic Creativity In Young Males Within An Online University Forum (94/\/\3 933k’5 9055oneone) Katherine Blashki is the Chair of New Media Technologies at Deakin University. Sophie Nichol is a PhD Candidate at Deakin University. Abstract In this paper the authors explore the use and adaptation of a language specifically developed for, and by, a community of young people who play computer games. Leet speak or 1337 5p34k, the language used by the participants in this study, incorporates symbols and numbers as substitutes for the letters contained in words. Described by the group as an ‘elite’ language or ‘leet speak’, the authors’ interest was captured by the derisive and ironic use of the language in an online forum for a tertiary first year unit of study. Rather than merely defining its participants within an elite cultural boundary, ‘leet speak’ is utilised ironically to unearth ‘wannabees’ (those seeking entrance and acceptance into the game world, generally 12 –16 year olds). Of particular fascination to the authors was that despite the clear self- demarcation of the group from the users of ‘leet speak’, and their insistence on its use solely by ‘newbs and wannabees’, the group continued to use the language to communicate with each other online. In this research, language defines the cultural group of games technology students in terms of the group’s continual subversion of the language’s very foundations whilst still using it to communicate. Perhaps most interesting was the group’s nonchalant admission that they perceived this to be the function of all languages ‘all languages are created purely for communication so dont [sic] have a cry about ppl been [sic] lazy’.
    [Show full text]