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Hate has many faces: Cyberbullying, hate speech and internet backlashIt's important to know that hate and aggression can take many forms in cyberspace. But what kind of content amounts to cyberbullying, hate speech or internet backlash?
Cyberbullying, so klicksafe.de (German only), is normally aimed at individual persons, and it is often carried out by perpetrators known to the victim in "real" (offline) life. In addition, cyberbullying often functions as an extension of real-life bullying. Typical cyberbullying tactics include posting of photos that show the victim in embarrassing situations and that, "ideally," will get widely shared. Usually, cases of cyberbullying continue for prolonged periods.
Internet backlash is a different story. It's a storm of outrage. As the Federal Agency for Civic Education (German only), a non-partisan political-information institute, reports, internet backlash consists of veritable avalanches of negative comments focused on a specific person, institution or company. In most cases,it is triggered by a specific statement, image, advertisement or announcement. As a result, internet backlash tends to last for only a short time. Furthermore, the comments it includes are not always threatening or insulting. For those targeted, their impact lies in its sheer volume, which can overwhelm any attempts to respond or take countermeasures.
In contrast to cyberbullying, hate speech is often aimed at entire groups, or at representatives of groups. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation (German only) describes hate speech as a series of hate-filled statements. Such statements often focus on characteristics such as skin color, origins/background, sexual orientation, age, gender, disabilities or religion. In some cases, such group-oriented inhumanity takes the form of racist messages spread by ultra-right or populist groups.