Contemporary forms of racism and bigotry on social media platforms

Luiz Valerio P Trindade

The United Nations Human Rights Council in its latest report on contemporary forms of racism and related intolerance has classified racism on the internet and social media as a growing international concern.

Different nations, such as the UK, Germany, Italy, and France, have been demanding the corporations behind the major social media platforms do more to tackle this phenomenon.

Such racism, bigotry and hate speech on Facebook can bring a heavy psychological burden to those targeted and to their families. They can affect people’s level of self-esteem; undermine their level of self-confidence; and challenge their sense of belonging and national identity. Moreover, in certain circumstances, it can even lead towards physical violence.

As large social media platforms such as Facebook have become an increasingly ubiquitous presence in people’s lives across the globe, this study examines how racist views are being created and disseminated across such platforms, and how to tackle the problem.

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