#Psofos | Hate Speech on Social Media

Beyond their many virtues, social media platforms can also be riotous spaces. On March 14, Onassis Stegi touches upon this issue with a debate on the titled “#Psofos | Hate Speech on Social Media”, presented as part of its “Society Uncensored” online discussion series.

Which words can give rise to hate speech without anyone even concerning themselves with the content of the texts that include them? How distinct is hate speech, which is a criminal offense, from “heavy-handed” speech? This discussion, organized in collaboration with the Hellenic League for Human Rights, took place at the end of January 2021, just as the Greek #metoo movement was starting to emerge and a few weeks after the shocking events that unfolded at the Capitol in Washington, leading to the second impeachment of Donald Trump. The purpose of this discussion was to capture an honest debate about the terrifying power of hate speech: racist words intended to harm, demean, lambast, humiliate, hurt, vilify, marginalize, taunt, mock, or ridicule some individual or group on the basis of their biologically- and/or socially-determined characteristics – that is, for reasons beyond people’s control or choice – and which often act as an incitement to violence.

Even when social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram) decide to take action, deactivating pages, profiles and channels, various questions still arise. Did they wait too long to take action? Are they limiting the free exchange of ideas in ways that open a can of worms? How are decisions taken on what the right reaction might be in each instance? When? And by whom? At the end of the day, how transparent and democratic are the control mechanisms currently in use in the digital public realm?