Disrespect in Online Deliberation: Inducing Factors and Democratic Potentials

Abstract

Deliberative scholars conceive of respect as a key component of a democratic exchange of reasons. However, disrespect abounds in public debates, especially if one looks at contemporary online discussions. This article seeks to investigate the factors that foster disrespect in online debates. It also aims at analyzing if the existence of some disrespectful utterances can contribute to deliberation. After all, some types of disrespect may be useful to public debate on certain occasions, in the extent to which they may induce reciprocity and engender discursive mobilization. In order to do so, the article analyzes 1,281 comments about same-sex marriage in Brazil, which were posted in Youtube and in news websites. The analysis points to: (1) a relationship between disrespect and one specific type of reciprocity; (2) a strong association between disrespect and anonymity; and (3) a correlation between disrespect and the use of religious frames. These results suggest: (1) the importance to disaggregate variables usually associated to "good deliberation"; (2) the relation between reciprocity and respect; (3) the protection anonymity offers to expressions of anger; and (4) the tension, first pointed by Papacharissi (2004) between politeness and incivility.