Debates around climate change are a prominent example of polarized online communication. We examine the German climate hyperlink network and evaluate the degree to which it is shaped by mainstream and skeptical views. By combining the theoretical frameworks of the networked public sphere and counterpublics, we describe the relation between publics and counterpublics and discuss the role of hyperlinks in delineating communities. Our analysis of blogrolls and link lists shows the debate’s structures to be polarized along factional lines with political and scientific institutions supporting the mainstream “climate-friendly” position. We find that skeptics form a counterpublic that is only loosely connected to the mainstream as neither skeptics nor the mainstream want to be affiliated with each other. Skeptics, thus, are mostly excluded within the German online climate network. However, skeptics are part of an “alliance of antagonism” with other groups, such as conspiracy theorists, men’s right groups, and right-wing sites.

中文翻译：

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对抗联盟：在线气候变化交流中的反政府与两极分化

有关气候变化的辩论是两极化在线交流的一个突出例子。我们研究了德国的气候超链接网络，并评估了它受到主流和持怀疑态度的程度。通过结合网络公共领域和反公共领域的理论框架，我们描述了公共和反公共领域之间的关系，并讨论了超链接在描绘社区中的作用。我们对博客和链接列表的分析显示，辩论的结构将沿着派系分界，而支持主流“气候友好”立场的政治和科学机构则将两极化。我们发现，怀疑论者形成了一个与公众主流松散连接的反共体，因为怀疑论者和主流主义者都不希望彼此结盟。因此，怀疑论者 在德国的在线气候网络中被排除在外。但是，怀疑者是与其他团体（例如阴谋理论家，男性右翼团体和右翼阵地）“对抗联盟”的一部分。