Hate and Harassment

Social media, while connecting people globally, has unfortunately become a breeding ground for hate and harassment. The affordances of these platforms emboldens individuals to engage in toxic behavior, targeting vulnerable communities and individuals, while a platform’s algorithms can elevate hateful speech and content because it garners high levels of engagement. In response, some social media companies have initiated efforts to curb such activities, including using AI algorithms and human moderators to identify and remove offensive content and reporting mechanisms for users to flag abuse. Despite these measures, online hate and harassment persist. This necessitates new approaches that can incentivize tech companies to rethink their policies and shift online norms, while not stifling free expression, as well as encourage the development of public alternatives to corporate platforms.