Can We Talk About Race? Exploring Online Comments About Four Race-Related Shootings in America

• In Event: Race, Solidarities and Resistances

Abstract

A quantitative content analysis was conducted of online comments (N = 1,840) posted on news stories about four shooting deaths involving Black Americans and police officers to assess how Americans talk about race in the digital space. Findings showed that uncivil attributes, such as profanity or name-calling, were more frequent than deliberative attributes, such as using evidence to support one’s point. Use of racial terms in these comments, such as Black and White, seemed to amplify the incivility. Our findings suggested quite strongly that there is scant but meaningful deliberative discussion about race, but overall incivility has overtaken that conversation. Results are discussed in terms of critical race theory and the theory of deliberative democracy.

Authors

• Gina Masullo Chen, The U of Texas at Austin

• Deepa Fadnis, U of Texas at Austin

• Kelsey Whipple, University of Massachusetts Amherst