Online hate speech can cause significant harm, with victims often experiencing psychological distress and anxiety. It can lead to low self-esteem, sleeping disorders, and increased fear and insecurity. Victims may even isolate themselves due to chronic depression and social anxiety. Such harm can extend to offline harassment and violence, with "doxxing" being a common form of targeted hate.
Online hate speech can also contribute to radicalization, where individuals come to believe that violence is justified in defense of their group. Radicalization occurs at different levels within a group, from sympathizers to activists advocating violence. The internet allows hate groups to target and radicalize individuals across these levels simultaneously. Techniques like the "slippery slope" and the power of group dynamics play a role in this process.
Several mechanisms contribute to radicalization, such as the slippery slope, the power of group dynamics, radicalization within like-minded groups, radicalization under isolation or threat, and dehumanization of opposing groups. These mechanisms exploit emotional experiences, including fear, love, and hate, often justifying increasingly extreme actions.
Young people are particularly vulnerable to radicalization due to their search for identity. Adolescence fosters identity-seeking behavior, and youth may join hate groups to fill a perceived void in their lives. Changing social conditions and feelings of exclusion can exacerbate this vulnerability.
Online hate movements not only radicalize individuals but also create increasingly hostile online environments. This hostile atmosphere normalizes hate speech and affects everyone targeted by these movements. Various levels of online interactions contribute to this hostility, perpetuating a cycle of harm.
Online hate speech has far-reaching consequences, impacting individuals, society, and the online communities themselves.
Source: Media Smarts