Discourse features of online news comments

Online news comments, also known as online forums or comment sections, have become a popular platform for people to engage with news articles and express their opinions. However, the discourse features of online news comments have been criticized for being often negative, aggressive, and unconstructive. Here are some common discourse features of online news comments:

  1. Aggressive tone: Online comments often feature aggressive language, personal attacks, and insults, which can create a toxic environment and discourage constructive dialogue.
  2. Emotional appeals: Comments may rely heavily on emotional appeals, such as outrage, anger, or fear, rather than logical arguments or evidence-based reasoning.
  3. Simplistic thinking: Online comments often oversimplify complex issues, ignoring nuances and context, and presenting binary oppositions (e.g., "good vs. evil").
  4. Lack of civility: Online comments frequently lack civility, respect, and empathy, with commenters often disregarding the feelings and opinions of others.
  5. Personalization: Comments may focus on the personal characteristics or experiences of individuals rather than the topic at hand, leading to ad hominem attacks and distractions from the issue.
  6. Repetition: Online comments often feature repetitive arguments, with commenters reiterating the same points without engaging with counterarguments or considering alternative perspectives.
  7. Lack of evidence: Comments may lack credible evidence or sources to support claims, leading to the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
  8. Trolling: Online comments may include trolling, which involves intentionally posting inflammatory or off-topic comments to provoke a reaction from others.
  9. Groupthink: Online comments can perpetuate groupthink, where commenters reinforce each other's opinions without considering alternative perspectives or engaging in critical thinking.
  10. Lack of accountability: Online comments often lack accountability, as commenters can remain anonymous or pseudonymous, making it difficult to hold them accountable for their words.
  11. Stereotyping: Comments may rely on stereotypes, prejudices, or biases, which can perpetuate harmful attitudes and reinforce social inequalities.
  12. Lack of nuance: Online comments often lack nuance, presenting complex issues in black-and-white terms, and ignoring the gray areas and complexities that exist in reality.
  13. Flaming: Online comments may feature flaming, which involves responding to a comment with anger, hostility, or aggression, rather than engaging in constructive dialogue.
  14. Off-topic comments: Comments may stray from the topic at hand, leading to a lack of focus and coherence in the discussion.
  15. Lack of engagement with counterarguments: Online comments often fail to engage with counterarguments or opposing viewpoints, leading to a lack of critical thinking and intellectual curiosity.

These discourse features can have negative consequences, such as:

To mitigate these negative consequences, online news outlets and commenters can strive to promote more constructive and respectful discourse by: