New Media Challenges: Social Media and Online Hate

Flashcards about Online Hate

Hatewatch Definition of Online Hate

Advocates violence against or unreasonable hostility toward those persons or organizations identified by their race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, or disability. Also including organizations or individuals that disseminate historically inaccurate information with regards to these persons or organizations for the purpose of vilification.

Perry & Olsson (2009) Definition of Online Hate

Vilified people and groups are targeted directly through text messages, emails, blogs, etc. often containing malicious threats, or indirectly in forums, virtual communities or chat groups.

Anti-Defamation League Definition of Cyberhate/Online Hate

The use of electronic technology to spread bigoted, discriminatory, terrorist and extremist information, manifests itself on websites and blogs, as well as in chat rooms, social media, comment sections and gaming. In short, hate is present in many forms on the internet, creating a hostile environment and reducing equal access to its benefits for those targeted by hatred and intimidation.

Forms of Online Hate

Attacks against identified groups (Race/ethnicity, gender, religious, cultural, political, etc.), Discrimination, prejudice, Toxic behaviors, Trolling, flaming, Incivility, Technology facilitated sexual violence, Online sexual harassment

Dark Participation

Systematic examination of online hate in its ecosystem.

Typology of Harm

Physical, Emotional, Relational, Financial

Typology of Severity

Punitive approach, Time-based approach, Persistence approach

Dimensions of Severity

Perspective, Perceived Intent, Agency of target, Experience assessing harm, Scale of harm, Urgency to address harm, Vulnerability, Medium, Sphere the harm occurs in

Health Consequences of Online Hate

Fear, Withdrawal from social media, Changes in privacy behavior, Distrust of social media, Lowered sense of safety, Spiral of silence, Anxiety, Depression, Post-traumatic stress symptoms, Sleep problems, Stress

Professional Consequences of Online Hate

Loss of productivity, Reputational damage, May lead to quitting the profession, Status loss, Loss of confidence in work, Stopping covering/researching on extremist groups, Self-censorship

Actors in Dark Participation

Individuals, Small groups, Large groups/Movements, Society

Reasons for Dark Participation

Authentic evil, Tactical, Strategic, Systematic/long term

Objects/Targets in Dark Participation

Individuals, Groups, Society/System

Audiences in Dark Participation

Direct reporting/News, Unstructured, Structured, Situational

Process in Dark Participation

Indirect

Dark Personalities

Socially undesirable personalities; Narcissism, Psychopathy, Machiavellianism, Sadism

Personality Traits Related to Online Hate

Trait aggression, Boredom, Impulsivity, Loneliness, Empathy

Beliefs Related to Online Hate

Social dominance, Beliefs about anonymity, Moral disengagement, Symbolic threats

Social Identity Model of Deindividuation Effects

Theory that an anonymous social environment leads to deindividuation, greater group salience and adherence, and ultimately online hate.

Audiences - Bystanders, Other Targets & Society

Witnessing hate speech leads to: Spiral of silence, Self-censorship, Harmful effects on well-being, misinformation

Audiences - Bystanders & Other Perpetrators

Spreading information promoting online hate groups' views, Connecting with other like-minded individuals, Recruiting potential and vulnerable individuals, Radicalization of potential vulnerable individuals, Social homophily

Online Hate Process

Unstructured single online hate communication, Situational, structured online hate communication, Sustained long-term campaign

Affordance

Inherent functional attributes of a particular object emerging in the relationship between actor and object

Internet Affordances

Accessibility, Social presence, Privacy, Network association, Personalisation, Persistence, Conversation control, Anonymity