Incivility in political discussions

Incivility, i.e. breaking social norms in political discussions, is a key component of many online discussions about politics but also campaigns, talk shows and televised debates. In incivility research it is almost a truism that incivility changes over time and space.

Testing this assumptions about the social embeddedness of incivility, I am applying comparative experimental designs, I am seeking to understand how citizens perceive (mediated) incivility and which effects these rude forms of conflict and debate has on political cynicism and trust, political participation, but also emotional reactions.

My comparative work on the usage and perception of uncivil discussions online in Brazil, Germany, Japan, Israel, and the US is founded by Facebook Research (