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Short abstract:

This paper ethnographically explores climate talk in the online public sphere. It focuses on practices of communication and conflict moderation on Extinction Rebellion NL social media. I show how specific notions of rationality, expertise, and participation are constructed in online discussions.

Long abstract:

Talk in online public spaces can quickly get heated, especially when discussing polarizing topics. Classic deliberative norms vanish from the discussion, and hate speech prevails. One such a polarizing topic is the climate. This paper looks at discussions around this topic, and provides an ethnographic exploration of climate conflict in the online public sphere. It zooms in on one case study: the social media channels of the Dutch branch of Extinction Rebellion. I look at the interaction between regular platform users, Extinction Rebellion officials, and the social media platforms on which they communicate. My research consists of digital participant observation of the Extinction Rebellion social media channels, combined with in-depth interviews with platform users and Extinction Rebellion officials.

Through the presentation of this ethnographic data, I sketch an affectively polarized landscape of online climate talk. I demonstrate how practices of communication and conflict moderation—not just the content of the disagreement—can have a significant polarizing effect. Specifically, by focusing the practices of communication and conflict moderation, the data illuminates how specific notions of rationality and expertise are constructed in these digitally mediated discussions, and how this feeds into the polarization of online climate talk. The results of this research speak to the connection between democracy and (digital) participation: what is ‘good’ participation in democratic systems—if there even is such a thing—and how can and should this be fostered in online public spaces?