5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

The amount of time citizens spend online has increased in recent years, especially the time spent viewing and commenting on what people upload to social media. This use of the internet allows people to build their identity through online interactions where it is easier to show who they are. However, increased time spent online also increases the likelihood of encountering or perpetrating violence online. This session will present the results of empirical research on hate speech and counter-speech in social media networks. The use of online violence will be explored in depth, both in terms of perpetrators and victims, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable groups such as children and teenagers. The intersectional aspects of the content of hate speech will also be analysed, as well as the impact of this speech on the definition of identity/identifications, on academic outcomes, on political self-positioning and, more broadly, on the quality of our democracies.

This session will present the results of specific research. Papers on methodological aspects of hate speech research that have led to these results are also welcome.