Online Social Regulation: When Everyday Diplomatic Skills for Harmonious Disagreement Break Down
Dublin Core
Title
Online Social Regulation: When Everyday Diplomatic Skills for Harmonious Disagreement Break Down
Subject
Social Regulation, Online Discussions, Disinhibition, Polarization, Diplomacy
Description
In group discussions, people rely on everyday diplomatic skills to socially regulate the interaction,
maintain harmony, and avoid escalation. This article compares social regulation in online and face-to-face (FtF) groups. It studies the micro-dynamics of online social interactions in response to disagreements. Thirty-two triads discussed, in a repeated measures design, controversial topics
via text-based online chat and FtF. The fourth group member was a confederate who voiced a deviant (right-wing) opinion. Results show that online interactions were less responsive and less ambiguous compared with FtF discussions. This affected participants’ social attributions: they felt their interaction partners ignored them and displayed disinhibited behavior. This also had
relational consequences: participants experienced polarization and less solidarity. These results offer a new perspective on the process of online polarization: this might not be due to changes in
individual psychology (e.g., disinhibition), but to misattributions of online behavior.
maintain harmony, and avoid escalation. This article compares social regulation in online and face-to-face (FtF) groups. It studies the micro-dynamics of online social interactions in response to disagreements. Thirty-two triads discussed, in a repeated measures design, controversial topics
via text-based online chat and FtF. The fourth group member was a confederate who voiced a deviant (right-wing) opinion. Results show that online interactions were less responsive and less ambiguous compared with FtF discussions. This affected participants’ social attributions: they felt their interaction partners ignored them and displayed disinhibited behavior. This also had
relational consequences: participants experienced polarization and less solidarity. These results offer a new perspective on the process of online polarization: this might not be due to changes in
individual psychology (e.g., disinhibition), but to misattributions of online behavior.
Creator
Carla A. Roos , Namkje Koudenburg, & Tom Postmes
Source
https://academic.oup.com/jcmc/article/25/6/382/6017947
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Date
17 June 2020
Contributor
Sri Wahyuni
Format
PDF
Language
English
Type
Text
Coverage
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 25 (2020)
Files
Collection
Citation
Carla A. Roos , Namkje Koudenburg, & Tom Postmes, “Online Social Regulation: When Everyday Diplomatic Skills for Harmonious Disagreement Break Down,” Repository Horizon University Indonesia, accessed May 20, 2025, https://repository.horizon.ac.id/items/show/8669.