Hate Speech on Social Media and the Danger of Social Decay
The normalization of hate speech, lynching culture, and the damage inflicted on the social fabric by anonymous accounts on digital platforms with the spread of social media are discussed.
While forms of communication have transformed with the integration of social media into our lives, the normalization of hate speech and lynching culture on digital platforms brings along the danger of social decay.
From Communication to Digital Lynching
While technology initially promised access to information and bringing people closer together, today it has fundamentally changed forms of communication and the capacity to cause harm.
People can now easily utter words they once lacked the courage to say face-to-face by hiding behind screens and through anonymous accounts.
Hate Crimes and the Legal Dimension
Hate crimes encompass attacks and threats directed at an individual or group due to characteristics such as identity, race, ethnicity, religion, or gender.
While acts committed with motives of discrimination and hatred in Turkey are evaluated under various penal provisions, Article 122 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) regulates this issue.
The Pleasure Zone of Social Media
Social media platforms have ceased to be a communication space for a certain audience and have transformed into a mechanism of self-actualization through likes and engagement.
Individuals who cannot communicate in real life can build fortresses through fake profiles they create and carry out random attacks in the digital environment.
The Speed of Lies and Tragedies Experienced
While fake news on social media reaches thousands of people within seconds, retraction texts are mostly ignored by the same audiences.
The existence of individuals who lost their lives as a result of severe lynchings and digital depressions they were subjected to demonstrates how vital this problem is.
Social Decay and Shared Responsibility
Hate speech damages not only the targeted individual but also the sense of equal citizenship and the will to live together throughout the entire society.
Preventing hatred and stopping this dangerous course stands out as a shared responsibility not just of the law, but of all individuals.