Exploring the informational elements of opinion answers: the case of the Russo-Ukrainian war

Introduction. The present investigation contributes to information behaviour research by elaborating the nature of opinion as a type of information. To achieve this, the elements of opinion answers available on Quora - a major question and answers (Q&A) forum were analysed. Method. The empiri...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Reijo Savolainen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Borås 2023-06-01
Series:Information Research: An International Electronic Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://informationr.net/infres/article/view/408
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832544554865131520
author Reijo Savolainen
author_facet Reijo Savolainen
author_sort Reijo Savolainen
collection DOAJ
description Introduction. The present investigation contributes to information behaviour research by elaborating the nature of opinion as a type of information. To achieve this, the elements of opinion answers available on Quora - a major question and answers (Q&A) forum were analysed. Method. The empirical findings draw on the qualitative content analysis of 483 opinion answers dealing with the Russo-Ukrainian war. It was examined how the answerers articulated four main elements of opinion answers: (i) the stance taken on an issue or event, (ii) emotional reaction to it, (iii) suggestion for future action, and (iv) grounds used to bolster an opinion. Results. The answerers most frequently took a neutral or negative stance on the topics articulated in the opinion questions. The emotions expressed in opinion answers were negative, indicative of anger, hate and contempt. The answerers offered a number of suggestions mainly dealing with the ways in which the war could be ended. To bolster their answers, the answerers primarily drew on the views presented by political decision makers such as presidents and ministers. The answerers also supported their views by making references to external information sources and drawing on factual evidence, Moreover, negative evaluation of the qualities of an entity or event was fairly common. The answerers also drew on explanation to make it understandable the war-related events. Conclusion. Opinion is an important informational category whose significance is probably growing, due to the developments in today´s information and communication environments.  In the media, more strongly than before, attention is devoted to people´s opinions, instead of merely emphasizing the role of irrefutable (objective) facts.
format Article
id doaj-art-79ded30848a243e2bfb6c26449560d47
institution Kabale University
issn 1368-1613
language English
publishDate 2023-06-01
publisher University of Borås
record_format Article
series Information Research: An International Electronic Journal
spelling doaj-art-79ded30848a243e2bfb6c26449560d472025-02-03T10:11:07ZengUniversity of BoråsInformation Research: An International Electronic Journal1368-16132023-06-01282Exploring the informational elements of opinion answers: the case of the Russo-Ukrainian warReijo Savolainen Introduction. The present investigation contributes to information behaviour research by elaborating the nature of opinion as a type of information. To achieve this, the elements of opinion answers available on Quora - a major question and answers (Q&A) forum were analysed. Method. The empirical findings draw on the qualitative content analysis of 483 opinion answers dealing with the Russo-Ukrainian war. It was examined how the answerers articulated four main elements of opinion answers: (i) the stance taken on an issue or event, (ii) emotional reaction to it, (iii) suggestion for future action, and (iv) grounds used to bolster an opinion. Results. The answerers most frequently took a neutral or negative stance on the topics articulated in the opinion questions. The emotions expressed in opinion answers were negative, indicative of anger, hate and contempt. The answerers offered a number of suggestions mainly dealing with the ways in which the war could be ended. To bolster their answers, the answerers primarily drew on the views presented by political decision makers such as presidents and ministers. The answerers also supported their views by making references to external information sources and drawing on factual evidence, Moreover, negative evaluation of the qualities of an entity or event was fairly common. The answerers also drew on explanation to make it understandable the war-related events. Conclusion. Opinion is an important informational category whose significance is probably growing, due to the developments in today´s information and communication environments.  In the media, more strongly than before, attention is devoted to people´s opinions, instead of merely emphasizing the role of irrefutable (objective) facts. https://informationr.net/infres/article/view/408Information sharingOnline discussionOnline opinion sharingQuestion and answers (Q&A) sites
spellingShingle Reijo Savolainen
Exploring the informational elements of opinion answers: the case of the Russo-Ukrainian war
Information Research: An International Electronic Journal
Information sharing
Online discussion
Online opinion sharing
Question and answers (Q&A) sites
title Exploring the informational elements of opinion answers: the case of the Russo-Ukrainian war
title_full Exploring the informational elements of opinion answers: the case of the Russo-Ukrainian war
title_fullStr Exploring the informational elements of opinion answers: the case of the Russo-Ukrainian war
title_full_unstemmed Exploring the informational elements of opinion answers: the case of the Russo-Ukrainian war
title_short Exploring the informational elements of opinion answers: the case of the Russo-Ukrainian war
title_sort exploring the informational elements of opinion answers the case of the russo ukrainian war
topic Information sharing
Online discussion
Online opinion sharing
Question and answers (Q&A) sites
url https://informationr.net/infres/article/view/408
work_keys_str_mv AT reijosavolainen exploringtheinformationalelementsofopinionanswersthecaseoftherussoukrainianwar