Manufacturing Hate 4.0: Can Media Studies Rise to the Challenge?

Abstract

This article reflects on the growing scourge of hate speech and its propagation via digital social media networks. It discusses how media studies has drawn attention to salient aspects of online hate speech including technological affordances, communication tactics, representational tropes, and audience response. It argues that insights from media studies are vital for unpacking the societal impact of the media and indeed for tackling a destructive force such as online hate speech. It further encourages media studies scholars to engage vigorously with colleagues in and across other disciplines to forge interdisciplinary research collaborations to address pressing societal issues. It urges media studies scholars to connect with the realms of industry, policy making, and civic society to ensure that the public discourse on the challenges of digitalization and mediatization is academically informed, evidence-based, and finely balanced.