Hate Speech and I : a study on audience engagement with social media hate speech targeting German politicians
(2020) MKVM13 20201Media and Communication Studies
Department of Communication and Media
- Abstract
- This thesis explores hate speech on social media from the individual perspective of the bystander audience. Four qualitative group interviews with three participants each were conducted to understand in what ways they experience and engage with hate speech comments on social media platforms targeting German politicians.
The debate in Germany surrounding hate speech has risen in the last year, as a female German politician, Renate Künast, did not accept to be insulted and hated on, and sued for the perpetrators to be punished. She lost. With this case so present in the German media, this thesis chose its focus.
Throughout the thesis, concepts and theories regarding the emotion hate, hate speech and recent studies on that, the politician... (More) - This thesis explores hate speech on social media from the individual perspective of the bystander audience. Four qualitative group interviews with three participants each were conducted to understand in what ways they experience and engage with hate speech comments on social media platforms targeting German politicians.
The debate in Germany surrounding hate speech has risen in the last year, as a female German politician, Renate Künast, did not accept to be insulted and hated on, and sued for the perpetrators to be punished. She lost. With this case so present in the German media, this thesis chose its focus.
Throughout the thesis, concepts and theories regarding the emotion hate, hate speech and recent studies on that, the politician as the victim in this scenario and audience engagement will be brought into context of the rise of social media and the move of the discussion culture online. This will then be set into context on how hate speech on social media influences the public opinion.
The group interview study revealed, that we have accepted hate speech on social media as part of our usage. We have adapted to its exposure in our everyday life. Even though it’s dangerous, particularly because it makes it easier for people of a certain extremist spectrum to find like- minded. Active engagement against those haters is non-existent. There is, in the view of the audience, too much hate and too little of us, so they take the role of the bystander. Social media has intervened so much in our everyday life and our communication culture. It offers everyone the opportunity to voice their opinion, something that hasn’t been possible before. At the same time, it plays an important part in how someone constructs an opinion, by consuming the content posted.
Is there anything that can be done about it? Or do we have to accept hate speech as something that is just a part of social media? Studies have shown, that hate has become more accepted, as politicians or political parties have started to use hate in their communication. Therefore, it’s not just a problem of social media, but of the entire communication culture. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9009408
- author
- Beck, Valerie LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- MKVM13 20201
- year
- 2020
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Hate Speech, Social Media, Germany
- language
- English
- id
- 9009408
- date added to LUP
- 2020-06-16 07:41:03
- date last changed
- 2020-06-16 07:41:03
@misc{9009408,
abstract = {{This thesis explores hate speech on social media from the individual perspective of the bystander audience. Four qualitative group interviews with three participants each were conducted to understand in what ways they experience and engage with hate speech comments on social media platforms targeting German politicians.
The debate in Germany surrounding hate speech has risen in the last year, as a female German politician, Renate Künast, did not accept to be insulted and hated on, and sued for the perpetrators to be punished. She lost. With this case so present in the German media, this thesis chose its focus.
Throughout the thesis, concepts and theories regarding the emotion hate, hate speech and recent studies on that, the politician as the victim in this scenario and audience engagement will be brought into context of the rise of social media and the move of the discussion culture online. This will then be set into context on how hate speech on social media influences the public opinion.
The group interview study revealed, that we have accepted hate speech on social media as part of our usage. We have adapted to its exposure in our everyday life. Even though it’s dangerous, particularly because it makes it easier for people of a certain extremist spectrum to find like- minded. Active engagement against those haters is non-existent. There is, in the view of the audience, too much hate and too little of us, so they take the role of the bystander. Social media has intervened so much in our everyday life and our communication culture. It offers everyone the opportunity to voice their opinion, something that hasn’t been possible before. At the same time, it plays an important part in how someone constructs an opinion, by consuming the content posted.
Is there anything that can be done about it? Or do we have to accept hate speech as something that is just a part of social media? Studies have shown, that hate has become more accepted, as politicians or political parties have started to use hate in their communication. Therefore, it’s not just a problem of social media, but of the entire communication culture.}},
author = {{Beck, Valerie}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Hate Speech and I : a study on audience engagement with social media hate speech targeting German politicians}},
year = {{2020}},
}