Partisan Differences in Reactions to Online Hate Speech

• In Event: Hate Speech: Causes and Reactions

Abstract

Hate speech threatens the quality of online deliberation and hinders engagement, as people who witness hate speech frequently withdraw from online discussions. Crowd-moderation – an approach mobilizing pro-social behavior among online witnesses, such as reporting and counter speech – presents a potential remedy to the negative effects of online hate speech. This approach requires widespread involvement by social media users across the board. However, we present research indicating that partisanship strongly conditions bystander reactions to online hate. In a study using a mock social media platform, we found that Republicans were less likely to report and counter speak when faced with hate speech than Democrats and Independents. This finding is puzzling, given that our data also shows that people across the political spectrum largely agree on the levels of hostility expressed in hate speech statements. In a large US-based follow-up study, we further examine these partisan effects by exploring whether partisan differences reflect in-group/out-group dynamics, or rather reflect stable ideological differences.

Authors

• Jesper Rasmussen, Aarhus University

• Tanja Marie Hansen, Aarhus University

• Lasse Lindekilde, Aarhus University

• Simon Karg