Emotional Public Sphere: Sentiment Analysis of Tweets after New Zealand Mosque Shooting

Abdelkader A. Aboualhuda, Islam; El-dosuky, Mohamed

doi:10.21608/jsb.2021.168006

	Emotional Public Sphere: Sentiment Analysis of Tweets after New Zealand Mosque Shooting
مجلة البحوث الإعلامية
Article 12, Volume 57, Issue 2, April 2021, Pages 977-1002 PDF (1.79 M)
Document Type: المقالة الأصلية
DOI: 10.21608/jsb.2021.168006
Authors
Islam Abdelkader A. Aboualhuda^* ¹; Mohamed El-dosuky²
¹Lecturer of Public Relations Mass Communication Department, Faculty of Arts Mansoura University,
²Associate professor at Faculty of Computer and Info. Mansoura University
Abstract
Two mass shootings took place on 15 March 2019, in Christchurch, New Zealand. Fifty-one Muslims were killed and 40 others were injured. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addressed the nation and described the attacks as “one of New Zealand's darkest days”. Ardern's efforts to reassure Muslims as part of New Zealand and enforcing tougher laws to tackle terrorism are appreciated nationally and internationally. This research aims to examine public sentiments towards the attacks and the political management of the crisis. Western media and politicians are criticized for dehumanizing Muslims and stigmatizing them as terrorists. However, Ardern's reaction to this terrorist attack was remarkable in reassuring social cohesion and ensuring Muslims as genuine New Zealand citizens. Thus, studying public emotions towards the attacks and their political management can provide us with fruitful insights concerning political management to the emotional public sphere. To achieve the research aims, data collected from the hashtag #ChristChurch from Twitter, one month after the attacks, through Python programming language and analyzed using Meaning Cloud. The results indicated polarised sentiments, mostly, around negative and positive sentiments. In the conclusion, an interpretation provided for the research results and some insights for future research discussed concerning studying public sentiments post terrorist attacks.
Keywords
Sentiment Analysis; Social Networking Sites; Emotional Public Sphere; New Zealand Mosque Shootings

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