Why People Fight Online
Research Releases in Culture & Media • May 18, 2017 Internet comment sections have become known for their bias and bitterness, particularly in a digital era driven by political division and “fake news” accusations. At times, “trolling” can veer into cyber bullying and other dangerous tactics like doxxing (publishing private or identifying information about an individual). As moderators struggle to keep up, some publications have chosen to entirely remove the option to comment, and YouTube has even launched a program to help young people become kinder “internet citizens.”
Thankfully, not too many Americans reside in these dark corners of the digital world—or, at least, do not admit to it. When a new Barna survey asked U.S. adults if they ever get in arguments on social media, more than half (55%) say never. A quarter (24%) say it’s a rare occurrence, while one in five argue online at least sometimes (21%).
Millennials, given their device dependencies and bent toward online activism, seem a likely candidate for digital skirmishes, and are indeed more likely than other generations to butt heads (33% “sometimes” + “often”). Still, two-thirds of them (67%) say they rarely, if ever, take their disagreements to social media. One in four Gen-Xers (25%) and one in 10 Boomers (11%) say they argue at least sometimes. A majority of Elders (80%), who perhaps don’t spend much time online anyway, avoid altercations entirely.
Along party lines, Republicans (8%) and Democrats (5%) are more likely to report frequent disagreements than Independents (.4%), perhaps because the latter doesn’t have a dog in as many political fights.
While “Get a job!” might be a popular retort for those bickering online, it seems most arguments involve the people who already have one; three out of 10 (30%) full-time workers report arguing online at least sometimes, far more than the retired (12%) or unemployed (10%). Interestingly, parents with young children at home are five times as likely as those with no children under 18 to admit often clashing with a cyber friend (11% compared to 2%). Perhaps a result of the so-called “Mommy wars” and the ubiquity of online parenting advice and opinion.
White adults generally are engaged in more social media squabbles; they are 10 percentage points more likely than all non-white adults to report getting into social media arguments sometimes or often (25% vs. 15%).
Sixteen percent of practicing Catholics say they frequently argue on social media—the highest percentage of any faith segment. Practicing Protestants, on the other hand, are pretty conflict-averse, with six in 10 saying they never have this experience (compared to 41% of practicing Catholics). Evangelicals often seem to be caught in the crosshairs of internet controversy, with recent debates covering everything from the Benedict Option to the rules of the blogosphere. Still, they claim to mostly bite their tongue; seven in 10 evangelicals (70%) say they never argue on social media.
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https://www.barna.com/research/people-fight-online/?utm_source=Barna+Update+List&utm_campaign=c0999455dd-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_05_18&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8560a0e52e-c0999455dd-172027689&mc_cid=c0999455dd&mc_eid=e80e26d73d
