• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.79
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• pp.165-195
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• 2016

This paper aims to examine the third-person effect(TPE) of hate comments on online news, and analyze how the issue-relevant audience factors as well as the characteristics of the online message have influence on the TPE. More specifically, based on the distinction between hateful and logical comments regarding the issue of illegal immigration, the authors have conducted an online experiment that compares how the message-related features, i.e., ways of expressing the ideas, lead to the difference in TPE. Analysis was also conducted with regards to how political orientation and discriminatory predisposition to immigrants among the audiences, have different impacts on the TPE. The 479 participants in the experiments were randomly assigned to experimental group(exposed to hate comments) or control group(exposed to logical comments). The results reveal that the TPE of hate comments is higher than that of logical message. The same message proved to be more effective for news users with liberal orientation and discriminatory predisposition. The significance of this paper lies in that it has examined the effect of online hate comments in a rigorous experimental setting. Also the research further elaborated on the audience-related variables, for which the previous studies tended to focus those on the general psychological level rather than relate them more specifically to the issues.