Published: 2019-01-291

Will “Hate Speech” Become the Norm? Social Determinants of Deviant Behaviour on the Internet

Anna Leszczuk-Fiedziukiewicz
Media - Culture - Social Communication
Section: Articles
https://doi.org/10.31648/mkks.2867

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse the phenomenon of “hate speech”, its definition and the psychosociological processes that determined it. The intensity of abusive posts on the Polish internet has provoked a public debate about punishing its authors, protection of victims and discussion about the negative effects of the illusion of anonymity and breaking ethical codes and social reaction. The author focused on social factors that may influence the development of problems, such as: Internet features, media content concerning celebrities’ life and the role of cultural stereotypes and prejudices. The psychological aspects of “hate speech” have also been described, such as: concepts of aggression, the jealous girlfriend syndrome and political hate speech syndrome. One of the crucial research questions deals with the status of “hate” online: whether it is a kind of deviation or a consequence of internet features which will become a virtual behavioural norm. An analysis of media discourse and Polish public opinion surveys concerning “hate” and “hate speech” are included. The author includes a review of citizen projects that have been monitoring the problem, as well as the described activities of the justice system and an analysis of anti-hate social campaigns. This analysis employs concepts from many fields: sociology of deviation, sociology of media and Internet, criminology, psychology and social psychology.

Keywords:

hate on the Internet, hate speech, media and deviations, social communication

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Citation rules

Leszczuk-Fiedziukiewicz, A. (2019). Will “Hate Speech” Become the Norm? Social Determinants of Deviant Behaviour on the Internet. Media - Culture - Social Communication, 3(14), 99–117. https://doi.org/10.31648/mkks.2867

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