Analyzing opinion conflicts in an online group discussion: From the perspective of majority and minority influence

Liu, Jieli; An, Jiaxin; Zhang, Pengyi

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/106596 Copy

Description

Title

Analyzing opinion conflicts in an online group discussion: From the perspective of majority and minority influence

Author(s)

• Liu, Jieli
• An, Jiaxin
• Zhang, Pengyi

Issue Date

2020-03-23

Keyword(s)

• Knowledge construction
• Conflict management
• Online communities

Abstract

Online community and groups often experience heated discussion. This paper examines a WeChat group discussion from the perspective of majority and minority influence to explore the evolvement of the discussion and the be-haviors of group members. Content analysis of 515 messages suggests that opin- ion conflicts between majority and minority evoke discussion engagement and knowledge exchange. There are different patterns of knowledge construction expressions between majority and minority groups. The majority prefer egocentric expression, while the minority prefer allocentric expression. Majority opinion holders have different conflict handling styles compared to minority opinion holders, who are more likely to avoid. Minority group is under great pressure in social interaction, they are easier to receive unfair comments and personal attacks.

Publisher

iSchools

Series/Report Name or Number

iConference 2020 Proceedings

Type of Resource

• text
• image

Language

eng

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/106596

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2020 Jieli Liu, Jiaxin An, and Pengyi Zhang

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