Online disinhibition mediates the relationship between emotion regulation difficulties and uncivil communication

Abstract

Abstract Uncivil online communication is a widely problematized cultural by-product of computer-mediated communication that, however, remains theoretically underexplained. While previous research shows that personal tendency for uncivil communication is partially influenced by individuals’ personality and empathy skills, the factors of inter-individual variation remain largely unknown. The present study examined individuals’ emotion regulation skills as a possible predictor of uncivil communication. Online survey respondents (N = 215) reported if they had engaged in uncivil communication and filled in scales measuring emotion regulation difficulties, use of different emotion regulation strategies, and various individual traits. The results show that emotion regulation difficulties were associated with high levels of online disinhibition. This, in turn, was associated with reports of uncivil communication. The mediation effect was observed even when controlling for personality and empathy. The results suggest that individuals’ emotion regulation difficulties may be an underlying psychological factor behind harmful online communication. These findings call for research and development of means to support emotion regulation in online interactions.

Keywords

• Uncivil communication
• Online disinhibition
• Computer-mediated communication
• Social media
• Online discussion
• Digital emotion regulation