A recent study from 2015 has shown 67% of people on social media have agreed that they should be able to make offensive comments to minority groups (Laub, pg 1). With the way social media and the internet have skyrocketed in users as of 2021, this number most likely has...
A recent study from 2015 has shown 67% of people on social media have agreed that they should be able to make offensive comments to minority groups (Laub, pg 1). With the way social media and the internet have skyrocketed in users as of 2021, this number most likely has increased. The First Amendment states that people are not allowed to say hate speech (Ward, pg 1), but the rules are different in social media. Hate speech is very dangerous and must be regulated immediately for the better. What is hate speech? Hate speech is using “discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group on the basis of who they are, in other words, based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality” (Guterres, pg 2). This can lead to many dangerous paths and must be stopped for the better.
Many people might have encountered hate speech on social media directly or indirectly. You could have seen racial slurs, or discriminatory language on posts, or many discriminating stereotypes. This is hate speech. It can be very dangerous for many reasons. To begin with, it can be shared quickly which can affect many people. As said in a recent article by Research Outreach, “The age of digital media has allowed any online speech or content to be shared by one tap of a screen without a second thought for the consequences .” (O’Regan, Butler, pg 1). Also, according to the Anti-Defamation League, 22% of social media users who encounter hate speech feel less safe in their community because of online hate, harassment, and racism (Laub, pg 1). Hate speech is basically making people feel less safe in their community, this shows another reason why it is so dangerous.
How should hate speech be regulated by yourself and by social media providers? Psychologist Larry Rosen, Ph.D., professor at California State University does his take on hate speech, and this is what he thought was best for regulating hate speech for yourself, “The advice I’d give is to identify where the negative stuff is coming from, and hide it all.” Larry Rosen also states that reports show posts you see on social media affect your everyday life. But not every person will be able to regulate hate speech themselves. This is where the providers of social media come in. One report given to BBC has shown many ways social media can regulate hate speech. Some of these examples include implementing “circuit breakers” so that recent posts or tweets that went viral are temporarily stopped from spreading around to other users while social media providers fact-check them and make sure it is appropriate for others. Another great technique is forcing social networks to check what has been recommended for many users, why it’s recommended, and if they need to, how do they regulate it if it uses hate speech. The last idea is limiting the use of micro-targeting advertising messages (Fox, pg 1). Many of these steps can be tedious, but it would be the best for our safety on social media
The First Amendment states that people are not allowed to say hate speech, but the rules are different in social media. Hate speech is very dangerous and must be regulated immediately for the better. Overall, our world would be a much nicer and safer place if hate speech isn’t a thing anymore. Those 22% of people who feel less safe in their community will eventually feel better, and the numbers will go down. But this is easier said than done. The percentage of 67% of people who believe hate speech is accepted needs to go down in order to have a chance at making our community more safe. This will take a lot of commitment and perseverance from the people and providers themselves. But, with enough patience and determination, our world can be a more calm and peaceful place which makes us people feel more secure.
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