ABSTRACT

Contention over COVID-19 is only a recent example of increasing social division around science in the U.S. Many blame these divisions on actors who have strategically sowed doubt and distrust around expert supported positions and policies. However, this overlooks how scientists have fueled narratives of social and political conflict around science. This study explores how science influencers on social media have used group identity language in ways that may perpetuate narratives of intergroup conflict around science. Using computer-assisted content analytic methods, we examine how science influencers’ use of group identity language has changed in response to recent events (Trump presidency, COVID-19 pandemic) and across different social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram). While there are slight increases in group identity language between 2016 and 2021, different patterns across platforms suggest that science influencers use different platforms to perform multiple roles of engaging diverse audiences, building ingroup solidarity, and defending against outgroup criticism.

摘要

围绕 COVID-19 的争论只是美国围绕科学日益加剧的社会分歧的最近一个例子 许多人将这些分歧归咎于那些战略性地对专家支持的立场和政策散布怀疑和不信任的行为者。然而，这忽略了科学家如何助长围绕科学的社会和政治冲突的叙述。本研究探讨了社交媒体上的科学影响者如何使用群体身份语言，以延续围绕科学的群体间冲突的叙述。使用计算机辅助内容分析方法，我们研究了科学影响者对群体身份语言的使用如何因最近事件（特朗普总统任期、COVID-19 大流行）和不同社交媒体平台（Twitter、Facebook、Instagram）而发生变化。