New Media Technologies and Hate Messages: Investigating the Role of Social Media in Propagation of Hate Messages in Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the use of Social Media in propagation of hate messages in Kenya. It was carried out among undergraduate students of The Co-operative University College of Kenya, Karen. The sample size was 200 units. The objectives of this study were: To establish the presence of hate content on social media, to determine the extent of exposure to hate messages among social media users, to explore the nature of hate messages on social media and to determine the diffusion (flow and spread) of hate messages online. The new media can play a key role in advocacy of human rights, preventing atrocities like genocide, ethnic cleansing, mutinies, rebellions, and revolts, and mobilization to a course. It can also be used to span ethnic hatred, religious intolerance, radicalization, racial divisions and spreading of hate messages. By informing, educating and perhaps sometimes by deceiving, the media in any society is the epicenter of the events palpable; such is the power of the media. However, this power of the mainstream media is experiencing competition as well as boost from the social media coupled by fast-growing technology. Inasmuch as the mainstream media is self regulatory in various aspects, in the matter hate speech, the law is specifically in the ambit of the State. To the contrary, social media is an open field devoid of a grip of control. This coupled by vague legal framework on hate speech, has provided a fertile ground for spread of hate content. Conversely, hate speech is becoming one of the greatest tools to spur violence, mass atrocities, ethnic hatred, radicalization, and religious intolerance among other discords. This aspect needs to be taken into consideration and addressed firmly. Few studies have been carried out to address the aspect of new media technologies and hate speech. The study adopted a descriptive survey design allowing for the collection of information and data without changing or manipulating the environment. The study used descriptive statistics to show distribution, relationships between variables under study, proportions in terms of texts, percentages, charts and tables. The study found out that hate speech is rife in the social media space; Top in the categories is ethnic hatred at 55.9%, political hate at 50.2% and religious hate at 34.3%. The study recommends education from elementary levels by introducing hate speech studies into curriculums, and more behavior change campaigns, enact tougher legal penalties to deal with propagators of hate speech on social media and mainstream media. Also, more studies to be carried in this area to bridge the academic gap and find more practical solutions to hate speech prevention, mitigation and possible elimination.