Journal of Public Deliberation
Processes of disagreement are
important to public deliberation, but research has not examined the dynamics of
disagreement in deliberation of political topics with respect to effects of the
channel of interaction. This study analyzes the discussions generated via an
experiment in which discussants were randomly assigned either to deliberate
online via synchronous chat or face-to-face. The study compares the initiation
of disagreement, its qualities, and how long it is sustained in the two
environments. Discourse analysis suggests that in the online environment
initial expressions of disagreement were less frequent, less bold, and were not
sustained as compared with the face-to-face discussions. Reasons include the
lack of coherence in synchronous chat, which may challenge interlocutors and
prevent them from pursuing a disagreement over multiple turns. Implications of
these findings for scholars and practitioners are discussed.