Thesis Title
Partisan Enmity: Political Hostility and Media Practices Among Australian Digital Publics

Research Description
Ciaran’s research examines partisan enmity exhibited on social media platforms. Using a multidisciplinary approach, his ethnographic study evaluates the confluence between the Australian news media environment and platform practices of the politically active during the 2022 Australian federal election campaign. The findings are then contextualised with trends experienced in the U.S. to better understand bourgeoning Antipodean political hostility online. By identifying contributing factors driving antagonism between partisans, his research aims to help thought leaders develop structural bulwarks that thwart civic discord, thereby promoting social cohesion and ameliorating political tensions that foster radicalisation.

Supervisor
Prof Anthony McCosker, Swinburne University of Technology