Who are the Young People Involved in Cyberhate Perpetration?

• In Event: Individual and Familial Risk and Protective Factors in Cyberhate Involvement

Abstract

Background: Cyberhate is a growing concern as it does not only affect individuals and the community to which they belong, it also alters social cohesion. Many studies have been published on the dissemination of cyberhate by organized groups, cyberhate exposure and victimization and its consequences. However, there is a paucity of research on perpetrators due to small numbers of samples of people who self-report their involvement as aggressors. Therefore, the goal of our paper is to study and better understand the young people involved in cyberhate perpetration.

Method: We analyzed data of a self-reported survey completed during the 2018 academic year by young people (n=2,906) aged 11-20 (Mage = 15.5) in French secondary schools. Structural Equation models (SEM) were used to analyze potential determinants of cyberhate perpetration.

Findings: One SEM tested if cyberhate experiences were related to experiences of offline violence in school. Results showed that cyberhate perpetration and victimization were strongly related to offline school victimization and perpetration, confirming the overlap between offline and online negative experiences. A second SEM showed that cyberhate perpetration was positively related to a lack of trust in others and in institutions as well as positive attitudes toward racism and xenophobia. However, results suggest that being exposed to hate online is more strongly associated to perpetration. Being a boy and from Muslim background were also related to perpetration and being from Muslim background more strongly associated with victimization.

Discussion: Males are much more involved as perpetrators of cyberhate than girls. As a consequence, a specific focus on this part population might be needed in terms of prevention as this type of behavior might be associated with masculinity stereotypes. Previous research showed that trust in institutions could act as a preventive factor as it decreases positive attitudes toward violence but also can act as a protective factor. Our analyses suggest that offline victimization of school violence is linked to cyberhate perpetration. This finding is aligned with previous research that showed an overlap between cyberbullying and school bullying. As a consequence, preventing school violence seems of paramount importance to prevent not only cyberhate victimization but also perpetration. Cyberhate exposure as presented by previous studies can be considered as indirect victimization as it entails negative consequences for the ones who are exposed and is associated to perpetration. This leads us to insist on the need to strengthen and improve online regulation of hateful content.

Authors

• Catherine Blaya, Université Côte d’Azur
  Presenting Author

• Alessandro Bergamaschi, Université Côte d’Azur
  Non-Presenting Author

• Seyedafshin Shekarforush, Université Côte d’Azur
  Non-Presenting Author