Talking Politics Online: Is Social Media Making Political Debates More Extreme?

In the fraught atmosphere gripping Britain following the anniversary of the killing of Jo Cox MP, and following some of the most outrageous and divisive campaigns in UK and US which culminated in a vote to Leave the European Union in the UK and the election of Donald Trump in US, some have raised concerns on the role that internet in general, and Social Media in particular, play in polarising the political debate and lowering the standards of communication, in particular when it comes to online debates on political issues. Within the theoretical framework of the Public Sphere (Habemas, 1984, 1991) the Paper will review literature in media, political communication and psychology to identify key contributions which can help understanding the role Social Media play in fostering – or indeed hindering – political deliberation online. The Paper will conclude offering a psychological interpretation of the contribution of social media to political incivility, highlighting on the one hand the impact of (social) media affordances on communication and, on the other, the fundamental role played by cultural and social norms in regulating political communication.