Turds, traitors and tossers: the abuse of UK MPs via Twitter

@article{Ward2020TurdsTA,
  title={Turds, traitors and tossers: the abuse of UK MPs via Twitter},
  author={S Ward and Liam McLoughlin},
  journal={The Journal of Legislative Studies},
  year={2020},
  volume={26},
  pages={47 - 73}
}
ABSTRACT There has been growing public attention around the abuse of MPs online including criminal convictions for violent threats, regular coverage of racist and misogynistic language directed at representatives. Yet, the extent of the problem and patterns of abuse remain relatively under-researched. So far, much of coverage of the problem is anecdotal or based on self-reporting from MPs. This research sets out to provide a more rigorous benchmark measure of abuse. It also examines targets and… Expand
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23 Citations
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23 Citations

Citation Type

Citation Type

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It is found that pressing subjects such as financial concerns attract high levels of engagement, but not necessarily abusive dialogue, which contributes to the wider understanding of abusive language online, in particular that which is directed at public officials. Expand
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Three Dimensions of Gendered Online Abuse: Analyzing Swedish MPs’ Experiences of Social Media
Women’s political representation has increased rapidly in the past few decades, but significant barriers continue to circumscribe women’s political participation in a myriad of ways. Previous… Expand
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ABSTRACT Online abuse directed at female politicians has the potential to present barriers to the political representation of women in the digital age. Previous research has produced mixed results,… Expand
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TLDR
Higher abuse levels were associated with hashtags blaming China for the pandemic, and evidence of some members of the public believing in COVID-19 conspiracy theories was found. Expand
Incongruous and illegitimate
Violence against women in politics encompasses physical, psychological, economic, sexual and semiotic forms of violence, targeting women because their gender is seen as threatening to hegemonic… Expand
Which politicians receive abuse? Four factors illuminated in the UK general election 2019
TLDR
A four-factor framework in understanding who receives online abuse and why is presented, which finds that individuals choosing not to stand for re-election had received more abuse across the preceding year. Expand
Online Abuse toward Candidates during the UK General Election 2019: Working Paper
TLDR
On average, men received more general and political abuse; women received more sexist abuse during the 2019 UK general election; MPs choosing not to stand again had received more abuse during 2019. Expand
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