A Linguistic Analysis of Sexism-Related Hate Speech in Social Media

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35765/pk.2023.4203.32
Keywords: hate speech, algorithm, social media, language, sexism

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present the functioning of a dual algorithm/human analysis and to investigate the means with which to study hate speech, especially sexism-related hate speech, in the online environment, focusing on social media comments and hashtags. Another aim is to investigate new linguistic trends in contemporary online hate speech that can be revealed via quantitative hate speech analysis. In the first part, the concept of hate speech is briefly introduced in a linguistic context. In the second part, an example of a Twitter hashtag is analyzed. In the third part, an algorithm for the identification of sexism-related hate speech from the corpus available at hatespeechdata.com is discussed. The article demonstrates the methods of evaluating selected types of online content for the presence of hate speech. It is made evident that algorithm-based hate speech qualification is an insufficient tool for identifying hate speech and that qualitative analysis by a trained linguist is necessary.

Author Biographies

Anna Bugajska, Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow

An Associate Professor at the Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow, where she heads the Language and Culture Studies Department. Her research interests and publications include the intersections of philosophy, sociology, language, and culture – especially in relation to emergent technologies. She is also involved in various programs and projects concerning contemporary ethical problems. She is the author of Engineering Youth: The Evantropian Project in Young Adult Dystopias (2019).

Paulina Dziedzic

A business analyst. She earned her degree from the Tischner European University in Krakow in the field of linguistics. Her interests are focused on exploring the emotional intelligence that influences social media interactions and the social phenomena that shape them. During her work as a content analyst at one of the most famous global online video sharing platforms, she developed a keen interest in the issue of hate speech in social media. Her experience provided her with a firsthand understanding of the extent to which this phenomenon exists online. This experience, combined with her training as an English philologist (specializing in intercultural communication in business), inspired her to pursue research into the linguistic and psychological factors that contribute to hate speech as a conditioned phenomenon in English-language culture.

References

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Perspektywy Kultury
Published
2023-05-31
How to Cite
[1]
Bugajska, A. and Dziedzic, P. 2023. A Linguistic Analysis of Sexism-Related Hate Speech in Social Media. Perspectives on Culture. 42, 3 (May 2023), 549-560. DOI:https://doi.org/10.35765/pk.2023.4203.32.
Issue
Vol. 42 No. 3 (2023): Culture (in) Hybrid Reality
Section
Varia

Copyright (c) 2023 Perspectives on Culture

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Autor, zgłaszając swój artykuł, wyraża zgodę na korzystanie przez Wydawnictwo Uniwersystet Ignatianum z utworu na następujących polach eksploatacji:

  1. utrwalania utworu w formie papierowej, a także na nośniku cyfrowym lub magnetycznym;
  2. zwielokrotnienia utworu dowolną techniką, bez ograniczenia ilości wydań i liczby egzemplarzy;
  3. rozpowszechniania utworu i jego zwielokrotnionych egzemplarzy na jakimkolwiek nośniku, w tym wprowadzenia do obrotu, sprzedaży, użyczenia, najmu;
  4. wprowadzenia utworu do pamięci komputera;
  5. rozpowszechniania utworu w sieciach informatycznych, w tym w sieci Internet;
  6. publicznego wykonania, wystawienia, wyświetlenia, odtworzenia oraz nadawania i reemitowania, a także publicznego udostępniania utworu w taki sposób, aby każdy mógł mieć do niego dostęp w miejscu i czasie przez siebie wybranym. 

Wydawca zobowiązuje się szanować osobiste prawa autorskie do utworu.