Mobilizing Hate: Moral Emotional Content & Support for Violence in Online Media

• In Event: The Role of Emotions in Politics

Abstract

When does information mobilize people to support or participate in violence? Despite the proliferation of “fake news” aimed at galvanizing public outrage against certain individuals and outgroups, there is little research on how content translates into individual support for violent and discriminatory behavior. This study explores the link between online content, moral outrage, and support for violence against individuals and outgroups. We hypothesize that moral-emotional frames that sensationalize transgressive behavior provoke outrage against targeted individuals and outgroups, in turn increasing individuals’ propensity to use or support violent and hateful expression against them. We approach this hypothesis using a survey experiment as well as a big data analysis of populations of articles and comments taken from a wide range of media sources. We find that outgroup cues, sensationalized framing of transgressions, and peer support for violence increases individuals' support for punitive violence against individuals and outgroups. Our findings contribute to our understanding of how political and social actors can use online content to mobilize support for violence and discriminatory policies; and has important policy implications for the debate on content moderation.

Authors

• Blake Miller, London School of Economics and Political Science

• Jeffrey Arshad Javed, University of Michigan