Hate speech and abusive behaviour on social media: A cross-cultural perspective [Hardback]

Luiz Valério P. Trindade

Hate speech and abusive behaviour on social media: A cross-cultural perspective

by Luiz Valério P. Trindade (IPIE – International Panel on the Information Environment, Switzerland)

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Luiz Valério’s contributions are important as a complaint against the systemic spread of hate on social media. A hatred that, in contemporary times, becomes a model of technical management responsible for suggesting the modern and colonial logics of hierarchization and precariousness of subjects announced at a distance from normative systems. In light of anti-colonial and anti-discriminatory perspectives, Luiz Valério’s theses confront the ritualization of violence taking place on networks and screens, as a manifestation of the modern pillory. In this scene, the screens and the network contribute to the radical exposure of bodies announced as massacreable within a hostile logic of race, gender and other markers used to separate subjects from humanity. By announcing the inseparability of online life from offline experience, Luiz Valério invites us to ethical-political reflections committed to the continuity of discriminatory systems and their fetish of power.

Dr. Thiago Teixeira
Professor of Philoshophy
Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, PUC-MG, Brazil

Luiz Valério Trindade’s research has made a decisive contribution to raising awareness about the regulation of social media platforms in Brazil, as it points out precisely how these virtual spaces have become a ‘modern pillory’, while also proposing concrete solutions. A captivating, necessary and cutting-edge piece of academic research.

Djamila Ribeiro, writer and philosopher

Professor Luiz Valério Trindade carries out an in-depth investigation into the construction of the denial of racism as a fundamental strategy for establishing the project of racial supremacy, a project that found on social media platforms an environment favorable to the mobilization of discriminatory speeches. A vital work for understanding contemporary times and for proposing effective anti-discrimination measures on social networks.

Brenno Tardelli
Lawyer
Law School of Ribeirão Preto at University of São Paulo (FDRP/USP), Brazil

The adverse societal impacts of social media platforms comprise a subject of global concern, given that this digital technology has become a breeding ground for the manifestation of varied forms of online harassment and abuse. Yet, most studies exploring this phenomenon have done so predominantly in Anglophone social contexts (notably, the US and the UK).

Thus, the present work examines hate speech and abusive behaviour adopting an innovative cross-cultural perspective. To this end, the book analyses a sample of 108 scholarly papers originally published in three non-hegemonic languages (Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish) and encompassing 11 countries (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, and Spain).

In this context, the development of this study highlights the relevance of considering cultural, historical and linguistic factors when analysing hate speech and abusive behaviour on social media. By confronting and evaluating findings from different countries and languages, the study sheds light on how cultural norms and language use shape the manifestation and impact of online harassment and abuse.

Besides, the study also reveals that social media plays the pivotal dual role of catalyst and vehicle for disseminating hate and abuse. As such, they can bring a series of adverse societal impacts upon individuals, vulnerable social groups, society, and democracy. Ultimately, social media platforms allow offenders the capability to unleash and disseminate aggressive and discriminatory ideologies, attracting numerous like-minded people to subvert and disregard any social convention constraints and norms of conviviality. Consequently, one of social media’s most significant negative impacts is the undermining of social cohesion.

Therefore, the present book is of interest to students, established scholars, and researchers in various disciplines, including sociology, criminology, media and communication studies, and digital humanities. Moreover, it is recommended reading for policymakers, leaders of non-governmental organisations, educators, journalists, and anyone interested in learning more about social media’s impacts on people’s lives.

List of figures and tables
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1 The internet and social media platforms: A brief history
Chapter 2 Social media users’ antisocial behavioural aspects
Chapter 3 Sample of cross-cultural studies: Descriptive analysis
Chapter 4 Analysis of studies published in Portuguese
Chapter 5 Analysis of studies published in Spanish
Chapter 6 Analysis of studies published in Italian
Chapter 7 Cross-cultural analysis of hate speech
Concluding thoughts
References
Index

Luiz Valério P. Trindade holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Southampton (UK) and is currently an affiliated social scientist at IPIE – International Panel on the Information Environment (Switzerland). He is the recipient of the 'Doctoral College Research Award 2020' for a distinguished scholarly paper and the 'Award of Merit' granted in 2020 by Social Science Space (USA) in recognition of the impact of his research. His latest publications include 'Discurso de Ódio nas Redes Sociais' (Editora Jandaíra, 2022) and 'No Laughing Matter: Race Joking and Resistance in Brazilian Social Media' (Vernon Press, 2020), which was among the nominated titles for the '2020 British Sociological Association’s Philip Abrams Memorial Prize'. His work has also been featured in dozens of newspaper articles, TV appearances, podcast interviews and scholarly journals.

social media, racism, hate speech, xenophobia, cyberbullying, revenge porn, homophobia, religious intolerance, misogyny, UN Sustainable Development Goals, far-right, social representation, online anonymity, deviant behaviour, hegemonic social group, social cohesion