Women's emotion work on Facebook: Strategic use of emotions in public discourse
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...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Computers in Human Behavior Reports |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451958821000968 |
| _version_ | 1798025222502219776 |
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| author | Hilde Sakariassen |
| author_facet | Hilde Sakariassen |
| author_sort | Hilde Sakariassen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:15:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-74d377ea597146ee8c03e75e3364ff95 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2451-9588 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:15:16Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Computers in Human Behavior Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-74d377ea597146ee8c03e75e3364ff952022-12-22T04:09:55ZengElsevierComputers in Human Behavior Reports2451-95882021-08-014100148Women's emotion work on Facebook: Strategic use of emotions in public discourseHilde Sakariassen0Department of Information Science and Media Studies, University of Bergen, PO Box 7802, N - 5020 Bergen, NorwayDebates 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.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451958821000968FacebookPublic discoursePublic debateOnline participationEmotion work |
| spellingShingle | Hilde Sakariassen Women's emotion work on Facebook: Strategic use of emotions in public discourse Computers in Human Behavior Reports Public discourse Public debate Online participation Emotion work |
| title | Women's emotion work on Facebook: Strategic use of emotions in public discourse |
| title_full | Women's emotion work on Facebook: Strategic use of emotions in public discourse |
| title_fullStr | Women's emotion work on Facebook: Strategic use of emotions in public discourse |
| title_full_unstemmed | Women's emotion work on Facebook: Strategic use of emotions in public discourse |
| title_short | Women's emotion work on Facebook: Strategic use of emotions in public discourse |
| title_sort | women s emotion work on facebook strategic use of emotions in public discourse |
| topic | Facebook Public discourse Public debate Online participation Emotion work |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451958821000968 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hildesakariassen womensemotionworkonfacebookstrategicuseofemotionsinpublicdiscourse |