Social media conversations often include an original post followed by other comments in response to the original post. These response comments can vary from being highly supportive and pleasant to highly offensive and abusive. We are interested in determining the degree of offensiveness/supportiveness of response comments. Specifically, in each HIT, you will be given four comments. Your task is to mark:

• the comment that is the MOST offensive (LEAST supportive).
• the comment that is the LEAST offensive (MOST supportive).

Purpose of the task:

Your responses will be used to better understand the type, nature and degree of offensive and supportive language.

Notes:

• The comments included in this task may contain foul, abusive language (including but not limited to sexist, violent, vulgar or racist terms).
• Try not to overthink the answer. Let your instinct guide you.
• There are a certain number of gold annotations interspersed throughout the data. If you mark these gold questions incorrectly, we will give you immediate feedback in a pop-up box. We will keep track of your answers for these gold questions. If you mark too many of these incorrectly, it might lead to rejection of your HITs, upon further scrutiny.

Instructions:

• For the MOST offensive (LEAST supportive) question: If all four comments are not offensive, then select the comment that is most negative or least supportive. If two (or more) comments are equally offensive, and both are MOST offensive (among the four options), then choose any one of these equally offensive comments as the MOST offensive comment.


• For the LEAST offensive (MOST supportive) question: If all four comments are not supportive, then select the comment that is most positive or least offensive. If two (or more) comments are equally supportive, and both are MOST supportive (among the four options), then choose any one of these equally supportive comments as the MOST supportive comment.


• Consider ‘offensive comments' to be a broad category that includes abhorrent, abusive, rude, objectionable, disagreeable, and discourteous comments. Offensive comments often denigrate, criticize, hurt, or harm the perception of self of another person or group (with or without using offensive words). Offensive comments tend to include aggressive outbursts, name calling, anger, hostility, bullying, or hurtful sarcasm, but they can be more subtle as well.


• Consider ‘supportive comments' to be a broad category that includes agreeable, delightful, kind, nice, pleasant, pleasing, respectful, and soothing comments.


• You cannot pick the same comment for both the categories.


• Responses that are not in accordance with the instructions will not be paid for.