Hate Speech on Social Media: Combat Strategies 1-3
By Dolly Asaf
Sociology Professor - Lebanese University
Introduction
Hate speech is a deeply rooted discourse in human history, existing since ancient times and likely to persist indefinitely. It is intricately tied to human life and currently stands as one of the most challenging issues affecting many countries worldwide, including those characterized by modernity and progress. The difference between countries, societies, and communities lies in the possibility of reducing the degree of hate speech to the minimum possible.
According to UNESCO, hate speech is a controversial and disputable concept encompassing all forms of expression that generate hatred. It includes various expressions, regardless of their form, such as messages conveyed through speech, gestures, drawings, images, cinematic films, posts, or tweets, etc.
Hatred is typically formulated, nourished, sustained, and directed by specific individuals or groups against different individuals or groups distinguished by ethnicity, language, or religion. Often, this is due to political reasons or longstanding historical discrimination. Hate messages find fertile ground in societies facing social, economic, or political problems or experiencing divisions. The fundamental reasons for hatred often lie in differences and the refusal to accept and embrace others.
Given the dual nature of technology – constructive and destructive – its influence on peoples lives, especially social bonds, has become pronounced. Social media platforms have emerged as prominent means for spreading violence, chaos, criminal activities, rumors, misinformation, and challenging intellectual beliefs. The question posed by this reality is: What is the fate of hate speeches with the tremendous evolution in communication technology?
To answer this question, one must start from the reality of the sustainable growth in the use of social media worldwide. A report in October 2021 indicated that over 4.48 billion people use social media, with an average of 8.4 accounts on different applications and sites per person.
Statistics indicate that hate speeches worldwide have been fueled by the extensive use of social media. Hate speech on Facebook and Instagram quadrupled in 2020, leading to the removal of 22.5 million posts on Facebook and 3.3 million posts on Instagram in the second quarter of 2020 alone.
Millions of individuals worldwide and many groups can produce and circulate their hatred without significant costs. This impact can be seen as a paradox, turning these platforms from social interaction sites into arenas for discord and antisocial communication. This paradox presents us with an important reality: groups can reproduce their virtual, imaginary, and communicative isolation by utilizing these complex and proliferating communication networks.
Due to the serious consequences of this phenomenon, the United Nations considers it a global issue that requires the mobilization of all relevant parties to address it. In 2019, Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, stated, "Hatred is creeping up on the dominant current, whether in liberal democracies or in authoritarian regimes, casting a dark shadow on our shared humanity. I fear the world today is on the verge of another critical moment in its battle with the demon of hatred... Hatred is a looming danger for everyone; therefore, combating it must be a duty for all. Together, we can extinguish the flowing hatred like fire in the stubble and preserve the values that unite us as one human family" (United Nations, 2019).
Understanding the Phenomenon
There is no agreed-upon specific definition of hate speech. It is a broad term that includes various descriptions, such as verbal violence, blatant hatred, ideological bias, racial discrimination, expressive violations, and condescending views. According to the European Commissions public policy recommendation issued on December 8, 2015, hate speech is the invitation, promotion, or incitement to defame an individual or a group of people, or to harm their reputation, or any harassment or insult, or negative stereotyping or stigmatization, or threats to such individuals or groups. The justification of all such expressions is based on "race," color, language, religion, belief, nationality, ethnic origin, race, as well as lineage, age, disability, sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation, among other characteristics or conditions.
Although freedom of expression is an absolute value in any democracy, for both the public and the media, the widespread dissemination of hate speech is very concerning. It can have severe consequences on individuals, groups, and society as a whole, as it is practiced in the name of this freedom and can cause many negative repercussions at the individual, group, and community levels.
In response to the social phenomena and hazardous events resulting from the growing hate speech, several definitions have been formulated, adapted over time to address emerging situations, and accommodate changes that have occurred in various fields on different levels.
The text discusses the concept of hate speech, outlining its two main components: hatred and discourse. Hatred is described as strong and irrational feelings of disdain, hostility, and animosity towards a specific group or individual based on certain real or perceived characteristics. The term goes beyond mere bias and should be discriminatory. Hate speech is considered an indicator of emotional states or emotional opinions, distinguishing it from any observable action.
The discourse aspect refers to any expression conveying opinions or ideas, communicated to an external audience through various forms such as written, non-verbal, visual, or artistic. This expression can be disseminated through various means, including the internet, print, radio, or television.
The text emphasizes that hate speech, beyond its foundational elements, becomes a subject of significant dispute. Some argue that discriminatory hatred in itself is insufficient, calling for a more nuanced understanding. The phenomenon of hate and its discourse is widespread globally, especially in countries with religious, ethnic, or national minorities facing discrimination across political, civil, economic, and cultural rights.
Digital technology has introduced new patterns in communication methods, social relationships, and the variability in language expression, text flexibility, and dialogue quality. The social practices associated with digital texts make it challenging to analyze their social, cultural, or ideological dimensions.
When examining the content of hate speech on digital platforms, attention should be paid to the content of the messages containing hatred, incitement, and violence, the social contexts generating hate messages, how individuals interact with hate messages, and the influence of powerful entities using hate speech for political or societal control in the digital world.
The text then highlights scientific challenges in addressing hate speech. The complexity of hate speech and ongoing transformations in social media necessitate a cautious approach to fully understand and analyze the subject. Challenges include the absence or lack of clarity in legislation regarding incitement to hatred, variations in the impact of hate messages on social media, government and court difficulties in enforcing laws on social media platforms based in other countries, technological challenges related to anonymous identities and slow international legal cooperation.
The mobile nature of hate speech, even when removed from one platform, finding new spaces, and the ideological justifications behind hate speech rooted in ideologies promoting aggression, cruelty, and destruction, further amplify the danger of hate speech.
Additionally, theres a lack of global reports with comprehensive quantitative and qualitative data to address this phenomenon, hindering the authorities ability to combat or prevent hate speech effectively. The challenge of automatic detection of hate speech on social media platforms is also noted, with artificial intelligence models struggling to recognize terms and expressions that differ from the data used for their training.
Overall, the text emphasizes the need for a holistic approach, considering legal, technological, and sociocultural dimensions, to effectively address and combat hate speech in the digital age.
