Anti-Immigrant Cyberhate in the Context of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election

• In Event: Open Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 10: Digital Life, Media, and Algorithms

Abstract

Online hate material, or cyberhate, can cause numerous harms to those who are exposed to and targeted by it. In this study, we explore factors that relate to the targeting of cyberhate based on a person’s immigrant status. To do so, we collected online survey data from a representative sample from the United States and Finland at two points, directly before and after the 2004 U.S. presidential election. We chose this time period because immigration was in the election spotlight, and we were interested in exploring how the election affected the flow of anti-immigration cyberhate. Additionally, we focused on a cross-national sample to examine if the nativist ideology that is becoming more pervasive in the U.S. is likewise taking root in other Western democracies.

Descriptive results demonstrated that a sizable share of our sample in both the U.S. and Finland had been recently exposed to anti-immigrant cyberhate, and about one-fifth of the sample had been directly targeted by this type of hate material. Findings from our multivariate analysis showed that the likelihood of being targeted by anti-immigrant cyberhate was significantly higher in the U.S. than in Finland, but there was no significant change in the likelihood of being victimized before or after the election. We also found that one’s social bonds affected targeting, whereby those who reported being closer to their friends and families were less likely to be victimized, while those who said they associated with people who endorsed hateful beliefs were more likely to be targeted. Additionally, engaging in antagonistic online behaviors correlated with a greater chance of being targeted, while online collective efficacy reduced the likelihood. Finally, more avid social media use puts people at risk of being targeted by anti-immigrant cyberhate.

Authors

• Matthew Costello, Clemson University

• Salvatore J. Restifo, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

• James E. Hawdon, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• Pekka Tuomas Räsänen, University of Turku