{"id":413492,"date":"2020-01-21T15:11:57","date_gmt":"2020-01-21T20:11:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=413492"},"modified":"2020-01-22T12:31:05","modified_gmt":"2020-01-22T17:31:05","slug":"the-rise-of-skywalker-online-trolls-keep-largely-mum-for-latest-star-wars-movie-413492","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/the-rise-of-skywalker-online-trolls-keep-largely-mum-for-latest-star-wars-movie-413492\/","title":{"rendered":"Online trolls keep largely mum for latest Star Wars<\/em> movie"},"content":{"rendered":"

While Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker<\/em> (TROS) left critics lukewarm, some audiences have been more generous in their assessment of the latest installment of the epic franchise. Unlike the penultimate release\u2014The Last Jedi<\/em> (TLJ) with its feminist story line and more diverse cast\u2014the ninth movie returns to the tried and true.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter TLJ, an\u00a0online campaign\u00a0took issue with the film\u2019s feminism, leftism, and diverse casting,\u201d writes Bethany Lacina<\/a>,<\/u> an associate professor of\u00a0political science at the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½<\/a>, in an analysis for the\u00a0Washington Post\u2019s \u201cMonkey Cage\u201d<\/a><\/em> site.<\/p>\n

In sharp contrast, she argues, TROS now deploys a fast-paced, sprawling plot, and conservative themes. That\u2019s why trolling of the film has been mild compared to the online backlash against TLJ.<\/p>\n

After TLJ, the major character Rose Tico\u2014played by Asian-American actress Kelly Marie Tran in TLJ\u2014became the focus of Twitter harassment, much of it hate-driven, as Lacina, who conducted a formal analysis of the tweets, argued in 2018<\/a>. The latest Star Wars<\/em> movie now largely eliminates Tran\u2019s character.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis latest movie avoided that ire by moving Star Wars<\/em> politically right,\u201d writes Lacina.<\/p>\n

Has there been a backlash by fans of TLJ to the latest movie? Not really. According to Lacina, one reason for the muted response is that \u201cfemale, non-white, and queer fans control fewer fan outlets. They also experience more online harassment, discouraging them from engaging the larger fandom.\u201d<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s a question of monetary incentives:<\/p>\n

\u201cAnger at TLJ became a business. Popular anti-TLJ videos on YouTube have millions of hits, translating to tens of thousands of dollars for their creators. Right-wing personalities sell Fandom Menace apparel,\u201d writes Lacina. \u201cThere is\u00a0no comparable\u00a0left-wing media ecosystem where anti-TROS feeling can thrive and be monetized to the same extent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lacina is a scholar of international relations, comparative politics, conflict, and Indian politics, with a specialty in civil and ethnic conflict. Her Monkey Cage piece relies on data-driven analysis of tweets and websites.<\/p>\n