HATE SPEECH IN THE DIGITAL AGE: A STUDY IN TERMS OF IMPACT AND SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS

Abstract

Hate speech has become one of the most common and critical manifestations of social activity in the digital age. Since digital platforms have now emerged as the primary means of communication across the world, they have also appeared as the primary places that help in the propagation of hate speech. The objective of this research is to discover the impact of hate speech, and social implications based on the previous study. The method employed in this study is secondary data collected from the academic databases of Scopus, Web of Science (WOS), and Google Scholar. Data analysis in the study was done narratively, which is a type of qualitative analysis that involves interpreting the narratives. The findings of the study revealed that there are several impacts, such as the architectural characteristics of social media platforms leading to the fast dissemination of detrimental content, anonymity and fast sharing of detrimental content, and psychological consequences. Social implications discovered social categorisation and excluded vulnerable groups, difficulty in avoiding harassment, othering, prejudice becoming the new norm, universality and legal issues, impact on trust and social cohesion, and political environment and prejudice becoming the new norm. Therefore, this study aims at offering a broad understanding of the different factors that shape hate speech. It suggests future research, policymaking and practical solutions for the improvement of the digital environment and the reduction of cyberbullying.