Speaking ill about women on the social web: sexist hate speech and the challenges for Onlife Citizenship

Abstract

Hate speech targeting women consists of cultural elements that have been internalized and accepted through a long-term process. At the same time, digital communication dynamics bring some novelties in the selection of targeting. Relevant phenomena in this regard include fast thinking in social web, trivialization of content, the emergence of new standards of knowledge mediation (algorithmic logic), emotional illiteracy and the spiral of silence. Sexist hate speech should be interpreted as a media-educational challenge within the framework of Onlife Citizenship, educating “spectators” in both consumption and production. In this context, projects that utilize Peer & Media Education prove to be effective, especially among younger people.