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Cited by 36Social Media and PoliticsMisinformation and Its ImpactsClimate Change Communication and Perception

(How) do participants in online discussion forums create ‘echo chambers’?: The inclusion and exclusion of dissenting voices in an online forum about climate change

Open access
Edwards, Arthur·2013·Journal of Argumentation in Context
DOI 10.1075/jaic.2.1.06edw
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Abstract

This paper examines the proposition advanced by Sunstein (2001) and other scholars that political online forums tend to be characterized by in-group homogeneity and group polarization. The paper adopts a process view of online forums and examines discussions within a time perspective. Five discussion lines on Climategate.nl (a skeptical Dutch online forum on climate change) are investigated. The research focuses on how participants react to the participation of dissidents and on the resulting processes of inclusion and exclusion. Climategate.nl moved in the direction of an ‘echo chamber’ gradually over time. Nevertheless, the forum was never completely homogeneous. The editors played an active role in the inclusion and exclusion of dissidents. A counter-steering moderation policy is needed to keep group polarization and homogenization within certain limits.

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Crossref · 10.1075/jaic.2.1.06edw

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  • Echo chambers have been shown to exist in various forms of online media such as blogs, forums, and social media sites.

    “Echo chambers have been shown to exist in various forms of online media such as blogs (24), forums (25), and social media sites (26–28).”

    From The echo chamber effect on social media (2021) · cites this paper as [25]

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Authors
Edwards, A.
Affiliations
Erasmus University Rotterdam (NL)
Corresponding author
Edwards, Arthur
Venue
Journal of Argumentation in Context
Publisher
John Benjamins Publishing Company
Published
2013-05-13
Volume
2
Issue
1
Pages
127-150
ISSN
  • 2211-4742 (ISSN-L)
  • 2211-4750
DOI
10.1075/jaic.2.1.06edw
OpenAlex
W2112493564
Cited by
36
References
31
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2013: 2
FWCI
3.95
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
other-oa
Locations
  • Journal of Argumentation in Context (publishedVersion)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • RePub (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Communication › Social Media and Politics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Climate Change Communication and Perception
Keywords
echo chambers, online forums, group polarization, climate change skepticism, inclusion and exclusion, forum moderation, dissidents

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