Non-Apathetic Neutrality Exacerbates Dehumanization and Violence in Online Environments: a Text Mining and Machine Learning Study

IF 2.5 3区社会学 Q1 SOCIAL SCIENCES, INTERDISCIPLINARY

Applied Research in Quality of Life Pub Date : 2025-05-02 DOI:10.1007/s11482-025-10452-y

Calvin Lam, Christian S. Chan

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

We investigated online discourse on dehumanization and violence among polarized and non-apathetic neutral individuals, the latter defined as those who actively engage in political debates without being politically polarized. We employed text mining and machine learning to analyze over 39 million user-generated comments from two online forums—Lihkg (popular among anti-government users) and HKDiscuss (popular among pro-government users)—during the 2019 social unrest in Hong Kong. On Lihkg, non-apathetic neutral individuals expressed stronger dehumanizing sentiments compared to anti-government users. On HKDiscuss, pro-government users exhibited stronger dehumanizing tendencies compared to both non-apathetic neutral and anti-government individuals. Furthermore, non-apathetic neutral individuals on Lihkg, as well as non-apathetic neutral and anti-government-learning neutral individuals on HKDiscuss, were more likely to endorse violence compared with other groups. These findings suggest that non-apathetic neutrality can intensify online political polarization and conflict. Our results enhance the understanding of how online political polarization contributes to dehumanization and violence, underscoring the importance of further investigating non-apathetic neutrality in online discourse.

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非冷漠中立加剧了网络环境中的非人化和暴力：一项文本挖掘和机器学习研究

我们调查了两极分化和非冷漠中立个人中关于非人化和暴力的在线话语，后者被定义为那些积极参与政治辩论而没有政治两极分化的人。我们使用文本挖掘和机器学习来分析2019年香港社会动荡期间来自两个在线论坛lihkg（在反政府用户中流行）和HKDiscuss（在亲政府用户中流行）的3900多万条用户评论。在Lihkg上，与反政府用户相比，非冷漠的中立者表达了更强烈的非人性化情绪。在hkdiscussion上，亲政府用户比中立者和反政府者表现出更强的非人性化倾向。此外，在lihkkg上非冷漠中立的个体，以及在hkdiscussion上非冷漠中立和反政府学习中立的个体，比其他群体更倾向于支持暴力。这些发现表明，非冷漠中立可以加剧在线政治两极分化和冲突。我们的研究结果加强了对网络政治两极分化如何导致非人化和暴力的理解，强调了进一步研究网络话语中非冷漠中立的重要性。

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来源期刊

Applied Research in Quality of Life SOCIAL SCIENCES, INTERDISCIPLINARY-

CiteScore

6.40

自引率

11.80%

发文量

期刊介绍： The aim of this journal is to publish conceptual, methodological and empirical papers dealing with quality-of-life studies in the applied areas of the natural and social sciences. As the official journal of the ISQOLS, it is designed to attract papers that have direct implications for, or impact on practical applications of research on the quality-of-life. We welcome papers crafted from interdisciplinary, inter-professional and international perspectives. This research should guide decision making in a variety of professions, industries, nonprofit, and government sectors, including healthcare, travel and tourism, marketing, corporate management, community planning, social work, public administration, and human resource management. The goal is to help decision makers apply performance measures and outcome assessment techniques based on concepts such as well-being, human satisfaction, human development, happiness, wellness and quality-of-life. The Editorial Review Board is divided into specific sections indicating the broad scope of practice covered by the journal. The section editors are distinguished scholars from many countries across the globe.