Esteban Morales, Jaigris Hodson, Victoria O’Meara, Anatoliy Gruzd, Philip Mai
{"title":"Online toxic speech as positioning acts: Hate as discursive mechanisms for othering and belonging","authors":"Esteban Morales, Jaigris Hodson, Victoria O’Meara, Anatoliy Gruzd, Philip Mai","doi":"10.1177/14614448251338493","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251338493","url":null,"abstract":"While digital platforms foster a sense of community and identity, they also facilitate harmful exclusionary practices. In this context, toxic and hateful speech are key mechanisms not only for harming others but also marking processes of othering and belonging. In this article, we examine the role of hateful and toxic speech in structuring processes of in- and out-group formation and maintenance by focusing on a public Colombian Telegram group. More specifically, we examine how members use toxic speech to position themselves and others in relation to narratives emerging from the group by analyzing 3221 posts with high levels of toxicity. Our analysis yields insights into the complex and paradoxical uses of antisocial behavior on social media platforms. Overall, the findings of this study deepen our understanding of the social gratifications that underlie how hate and toxic speech are used to disenfranchise individuals.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"71 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144165402","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Raven Maragh-Lloyd, Ryan Stoldt, Javie Ssozie, Kathryn Biddle, Brian Ekdale, Tim Havens
{"title":"“They’re trying to influence me to gain the more acceptable viewpoint”: The algorithmic imaginaries of politically activated social media users","authors":"Raven Maragh-Lloyd, Ryan Stoldt, Javie Ssozie, Kathryn Biddle, Brian Ekdale, Tim Havens","doi":"10.1177/14614448251338502","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251338502","url":null,"abstract":"Links between extremism online and personalization algorithms are, by now, widely accepted. However, discussions surrounding sociopolitical radicalization and its relationship to filter bubbles often fail to account for user agency. Based on interview ( <jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 29) and survey ( <jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 1100) data, our study asks how politically engaged social media users make sense of algorithmic personalization related to political topics of interest. Our results indicate that most respondents conceptualize personalization as a functional process of social media platforms seeking to deliver relevant information, while a small but vocal number of users claim algorithms are designed not to personalize content but rather to enact an ideological agenda. Our findings, which include real-time user responses to algorithms, suggest that algorithms do not simply radicalize unsuspecting users but, rather, are negotiated to reveal a more complex digital landscape.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144113970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Steve Jankowski, Claudio Celis Bueno, Ouejdane Sabbah, Jakko Kemper
{"title":"Templates and sovereignty: Wikipedia’s policy development and the reflection of community consensus","authors":"Steve Jankowski, Claudio Celis Bueno, Ouejdane Sabbah, Jakko Kemper","doi":"10.1177/14614448251336436","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251336436","url":null,"abstract":"This article examines how Wikipedians embed their sovereign authority within the development of the site’s multilingual policy environment. By drawing on the concepts of cultural techniques, imagined affordances, and online authority, the edits and comments of editors were examined through a discourse analysis of 15 rules across 15 years. With a focus on the English and Spanish-language Wikipedias and additional comparisons with the Arabic, Dutch, and French-language editions, our analysis presents a new perspective on Wikipedian self-governance. By paying attention to how Wikipedians designate the authority of rules through templates, we observed that an incredibly small number of editors use techniques to designate the sovereign authority of policies in ways that <jats:italic>determine</jats:italic> community consensus, rather than <jats:italic>reflect</jats:italic> it. This research provides further understanding of the democratic limitations of online peer production and self-governing communities dedicated to equal and diverse forms of participation.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"89 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144113625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Culture machine: How MetaCLIP codifies culture","authors":"Luke Munn, Adarsh Badri","doi":"10.1177/14614448251336429","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251336429","url":null,"abstract":"How is the cultural made computational? CLIP models are a recent artificial intelligence (AI) innovation which train on massive amounts of Internet data in order to align language and image, deploying this ‘grasp’ of cultural concepts to understand prompts, classify images and carry out tasks. To critically investigate this cultural codification, we explore MetaCLIP, a recent variation developed by Meta. We analyse the model’s metadata, a single file of 500,000 terms that aims to achieve a ‘balanced distribution’ or sufficiently broad understanding of concepts. We show how this model assembles histories, languages, ideologies and media artefacts into a kind of cultural knowledge. We argue this codification fuses the ancient technique of the <jats:italic>list</jats:italic> with a more recent technique of <jats:italic>latent space</jats:italic> . We conclude by framing these technologies as <jats:italic>cultural machines</jats:italic> that exert power in defining and operationalising a particular understanding of ‘culture’ invisibly and at scale.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144113903","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The platformization of emotions: Managing affective labor in platform-mediated game work","authors":"Ting He, Colin Agur","doi":"10.1177/14614448251338512","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251338512","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines the management of affective labor on E-Pal, a US-based gaming freelancer platform where gig workers provide companionship and intimacy to clients during gaming. Based on interviews with 27 workers, the research reveals that E-Pal prioritizes emotional connection over gaming skills. The platform uses authenticity expectations, performance evaluations, and gamification to regulate workers’ emotional interactions with customers. The findings also highlight how E-Pal’s algorithmic visibility disproportionately favors Asian and Latina female workers, reinforcing gender and racial stereotypes for economic gain. A tiered governance system rewards high-performing workers with greater agency and financial benefits, while lower-tier workers often experience precarity. This study also illustrates the toll of constant emotional availability, particularly for minority groups and non-US workers who face physical and mental health challenges without adequate institutional support.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"62 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144104537","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Radicalization or relief: Divergent impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown on incels by seniority","authors":"Lion Wedel, Linda Coufal","doi":"10.1177/14614448251336432","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251336432","url":null,"abstract":"Incels (involuntary celibates) base their identity on the inability to form romantic relationships. We conceptualize the ideology promoted by incels as misogynist extremism and explore the impact of the first COVID-19 lockdown on the radicalization of this online community. Based on computational measures, we conducted a multi-perspective exploration, comparing the prevalence of and participation in threads dealing with extremism, ideology and mental health on the incels.is forum between pre-lockdown, lockdown and post-lockdown periods. We found evidence of long-term and temporary radicalization. Moreover, we found that, specifically, older forum members increasingly post in extremist-themed threads triggered by the lockdowns. Crucially, we show that activity on mental health–themed threads temporarily decreased during the lockdown. These findings indicate that real-world social isolation reduces mental health complaints among incels but, at the same time, exacerbates misogynist extremism among active community members.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"59 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144104538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cumulative disinformation through citation: Investigating the longitudinal construction of Sweden as the ‘rape capital’ of the world","authors":"Mathilda Åkerlund, Jesper Strömbäck","doi":"10.1177/14614448251336424","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251336424","url":null,"abstract":"Sweden has increasingly come into international far right focus, and digital media sites in the United States have proven especially active in spreading mis- and disinformative narratives about the country. Using social network analysis and descriptive statistics, we trace 776 links over a 27 year-period to understand how U.S. far-right media sites construct the idea of Sweden as ‘the rape capital’ of the world. The article makes several contributions as it pertains both to the technological and ideological functions of citing for digital far-right media. We highlight the (lack of) timeliness of sourcing, the role of mainstream sources for repurposing and amplification, and practices of exaggeration and pseudo-legitimisation. Against the backdrop of our findings, we suggest the need for approaching digital far-right media information practices as more complex and subtle than they have previously been conceived, and highlight the necessity to problematise misinformation as a label for misrepresentation in digital far-right media.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144114033","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Riding the short video wave: Sense of agency in motion among young users on Douyin","authors":"Yi Xu, Jiahe Wang, Zili Chen","doi":"10.1177/14614448251338515","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251338515","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines how young <jats:italic>Douyin</jats:italic> users navigate algorithm-driven short video platforms, emphasizing their sense of agency (SoA) in shaping engagement strategies. Based on in-depth interviews with 25 users, we identified four engagement statuses—High SoA Use, Low SoA Use, High SoA Nonuse, and Low SoA Nonuse—and two strategic transitions: Disengagement and Reengagement. These transitions illustrate users’ reflective processes regarding past behaviors and highlight deliberate efforts to regain control over platform use. Our findings reveal a complex interplay between user autonomy and algorithmic influence, highlighting the psychological mechanisms underpinning user-driven adaptations. By exploring users’ psychological coping strategies, this study positions user agency as central to fostering sustainable interactions with algorithmic platforms. By advancing our understanding of algorithmic engagement, this research emphasizes user autonomy and offers actionable insights into strategic adaptations, digital wellness, and algorithmic literacy, suggesting the value of mindful social media use.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144104547","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anne Oeldorf-Hirsch, Lili R Romann, Isabella Witkowich, Jiayi Chen
{"title":"Exploring social media users’ experiences with algorithmic transparency cues","authors":"Anne Oeldorf-Hirsch, Lili R Romann, Isabella Witkowich, Jiayi Chen","doi":"10.1177/14614448251339493","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251339493","url":null,"abstract":"All mainstream social media platforms now use algorithms to display recommended content, and some (e.g. Instagram, LinkedIn) have started showing what we call <jats:italic>algorithmic transparency cues</jats:italic> about why certain posts are recommended. However, little is known about what cues users see on their own feeds and how they experience them. Thus, using an online survey ( <jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 515) of adult U.S. social media users, we gathered data about two research questions: (1) What types of algorithmic cues users find in their own feeds, and (2) their experiences with algorithms and their transparency. Content analysis of user-submitted screenshots and cue descriptions shows that most transparency cues refer to users’ behaviors, behaviors of others in their network, and sponsored posts. Furthermore, open-ended responses indicate that users have critical opinions about algorithms, calling for greater algorithmic transparency on social media, and offering suggestions for researchers and platform designers moving forward.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"55 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144097162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Giulia Campaioli, Adriano Zamperini, Marta Cecchinato
{"title":"‘Now you’re home’: Awareness cues, rejection and post-digital safety on mobile dating apps","authors":"Giulia Campaioli, Adriano Zamperini, Marta Cecchinato","doi":"10.1177/14614448251336437","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251336437","url":null,"abstract":"Mobile dating apps (MDA) are popular for intimate encounters, but romantic rejection is common, and can drive surveillance using information from social media. Awareness cues convey digital information about others’ activities, but their link with rejection is underexplored. This study explores the uses of awareness cues in mobile dating applications (MDAs) in relation to rejection, social surveillance and post-digital safety. Using a 1-month diary study with eight participants of diverse gender and sexual identities, we identify a grammar of awareness cues that helps users interpret others’ intentions, manage relational uncertainty (e.g. ghosting) and navigate rejection. While awareness cues convey helpful information, they also expose users to social surveillance or even stalking. Since ‘incognito mode’ is a premium affordance on most MDAs, participants developed creative <jats:italic>invisibility strategies</jats:italic> to restrict access to social surveillance mechanisms.","PeriodicalId":19149,"journal":{"name":"New Media & Society","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144088258","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}