Publication Date

Spring 2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

Advisor

Greg Feist; Riana Betzler; Christine Ma-Kellams

Abstract

This study aims to examine the reasons why certain individuals engage in “dark participation”, antisocial social participation online involving behavior such as trolling, hate speech, harassment, and spreading disinformation. Online toxicity has increasingly destabilized our ability to engage in socially important discourse online, and trolling has such a strong effect on our environment to the point where the 2016 presidential election was, in part, influenced by online trolls. We theorize that dark participation (DP) will be predicted by high levels of moral disengagement (MD), need for chaos (NFC), and meaninglessness in life (MLN) and self concept clarity (SCC). A series of questionnaires were used to construct these variables, and structural equation modeling was then used to examine the relationship between DP and MLN, SCC, MD, and NFC (N = 163). Participants were recruited from a pool of San Jose State University undergraduates. Data was analyzed for goodness of fit with the latent variable structural model using the lavaan package in R. The model demonstrated adequate fitness with the sample data, and indicated that DP is related to MD and NFC. No direct relationship was found between DP and SCC/MLN, although secondary post-hoc models demonstrated a moderating relationship between MLN and DP through MD, as well as a direct relationship between SCC and MLN. This research will help us better understand what drives antisocial behavior online, and from there, what may potentially be done to mitigate this behavior.

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