University of Twente Student Theses
Exploring and Comparing Climate Change Discussions on Reddit: Unveiling the Discrete Emotions Expressed by Believers and Deniers
Bonekamp, Felix (2024) Exploring and Comparing Climate Change Discussions on Reddit: Unveiling the Discrete Emotions Expressed by Believers and Deniers.
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| Abstract: | Despite growing evidence of the climate crisis, many people still doubt anthropogenic climate change. Social media platforms like Reddit function as locations for climate change discussions. This study used text mining to analyse Reddit discussions among climate change believers and deniers, focusing on comparing the emotional expressions of both. We selected subreddits focusing on climate change belief and denial, using further web scraping to gather relevant content. Furthermore, Sentiment analysis and emotion detection were performed using VADER and the NRC Word-Emotion Association Lexicon (EmoLex). Our findings revealed no differences in emotional expression between the two groups. Both groups expressed fear most frequently, with trust and anger as secondary emotions. However, sentiment analysis yielded mixed results. VADER indicated more positivity overall, especially among believers, while EmoLex suggested similar levels of negativity. This study highlights the function of cognitive dissonance and social identity in shaping the emotional expressions of both. The expressed emotions of both groups may, in turn, influence their risk perception and decision-making. The levels of fear expressed by both groups may motivate them to seek reassurance and increase their community engagement Future research is needed to gain further insights into the motivations and complex emotions expressed by both groups. We selected subreddits focusing on climate change belief and denial, using further web scraping and keyword searches to gather relevant posts and comments. Furthermore, Sentiment analysis and emotion detection were performed using VADER and the NRC Word-Emotion Association Lexicon (EmoLex). Our findings revealed no differences in emotional expression between the two groups. Both groups expressed fear most frequently, with trust and anger as secondary emotions. However, sentiment analysis yielded mixed results. Namely, VADER indicated more positivity overall, especially among believers, while EmoLex suggested similar levels of negativity in both groups. Additionally, deniers showed higher engagement levels than believers. The results highlight the function of cognitive dissonance and social identity in shaping the emotional expressions and behaviours of climate change deniers. The expressed emotions of both groups may, in turn, influence their risk perception and decision-making. The levels of fear expressed by both groups may motivate them to seek reassurance and increase their community engagement Conclusion. Overall, the study offers insights into the subtle differences and similarities in emotional expression and online interaction between climate change believers and deniers. We identified many similarities in the emotions expressed by both groups, while fear can be highlighted as the most expressed emotion. Future research is needed to gain further insights into the motivations and topics expressed by both climate change believers and deniers, as well as into complex emotions like sarcasm and hope, which may further influence their decisions. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/103517 |
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