Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

5-2022

Abstract

The transfer of power stemming from the 2020 presidential election occurred during an unprecedented period in United States history. Uncertainty from the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing societal tensions, and a fragile economy increased societal polarization, exacerbated by the outgoing president's offline rhetoric. As a result, online groups such as QAnon engaged in extra political participation beyond the traditional platforms. This research explores the link between offline political speech and online extra-representational participation by examining Twitter within the context of the January 6 insurrection. Using a mixed-methods approach of quantitative and qualitative thematic analyses, the study combines offline speech information with Twitter data during key speech addresses leading up to the date of the insurrection; exploring the link between Trump's offline speeches and QAnon's hashtags across a 3-day timeframe. We find that links between online extra-representational participation and offline political speech exist. This research illuminates this phenomenon and offers policy implications for the role of online messaging as a tool of political mobilization.

Keywords

political participation, online political participation, U.S. Capitol attack, insurrection, Twitter, speech

Discipline

Databases and Information Systems | Social Influence and Political Communication | Social Media

Publication

Frontiers in Sociology

Volume

7

First Page

1

Last Page

16

ISSN

2297-7775

Identifier

10.3389/fsoc.2022.876070

Publisher

Frontiers Media

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2022.876070

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