How radical is radical?: Understanding the role of activists’ communication strategies on the formation of public attitude and evaluation

This study examined whether the public evaluated radical and moderate activists differently in terms of the activists’ communication strategies (i.e., protests, humiliation, and terrorism). Results found that participants were more likely to electronically spread information about the activists when the organizational stances are radical. Among the three communication strategies examined, participants evaluated activists’ protests most positively and were more likely to spread the information of activists via social media. Participants’ intent to donate to activists was also the highest when activists utilized protests, compared to humiliation and terrorism.