Sociocognitive underpinnings of online hate speech in Brazil: an interdisciplinary narrative review

Abstract

The growth of social networks has given unprecedented strength to hate speech, which has caused damage globally. This article aimed to discuss the sociocognitive substrates of hate speech and the role of social networks in exacerbating the problem, integrating knowledge from neurosciences, Social Psychology, Critical Discourse Analysis, among others, proposing a brief narrative review to aid understanding and combat hate speech in the Brazilian context. Through the articulation of these areas, central themes were addressed to hate speech: its nature as a social practice and the sociocognitive processes underlying it, such as social categorization and the formation of stereotypes, prejudices, and social identity, phenomena that can mediate interpersonal and intergroup conflicts. From already well-established concepts, up-to-date literature was sought to understand and illustrate the dimension of the problem of hate speech. This work points out strategic directions to combat and mitigate the negative effects of hate speech, to promote more just and cooperative societies, with the adoption of socio-educational measures both on and off the Internet.