Textual Analysis Finally, RQ3 qualitatively explored how gender and incivility intersected in the #Gamergate tweets. The WordStat program extracted 10 main topics from the sample of 500 tweets (see Table 3). Most interesting for the purposes of this paper are those topics that focused on how incivility presented itself between different groups. Of the 10 topics, six of them directly or indirectly alluded to this goal, as outlined below. [Table 3 here] The most common topic revealed during the textual analysis, the other side, portrayed how #Gamergate created a “if you’re not with us, you’re against us” dynamic. These tweets, which represented about 7.44% of the sample, delegitimized opponents’ stances. From the #Gamergate side, one user declared, “Anti-#GamerGate no longer has the right to claim they support women because of how outraged they are that the @TheEscapistMag hired women…” Incivility thus comes out in the form of attacking opponents as hypocrites. However, those who opposed #Gamergate also adopted this same technique of “othering” and marginalizing opponents. For instance, one user commented, “While going around supporting pedophiles... GamerGate thinks they'll generate sympathy by making out [how] anti-GG is anti-Gamer.” These tweets thus showcase the demonization of the other side, and the polarization on …show more content…
This topic accounted for 4.02% of the sample. These tweets called out women in negative ways, such as for being hypocrites. For example, one user stated, “If this happened to Anita, Zoe, or Wu, the media and SJWs would have a field day. ‘Oh, she's #GamerGate? FUCK HER!’” In this statement, the user implies that women who criticize #Gamergate for its sexism receive special treatment while simultaneously arguing that women within #Gamergate are unjustly viewed as inferior simply because they are not outspoken