HOW TO RESPOND TO HATE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Online hate speech is a hateful post that takes place online with the aim of attacking or stigmatizing an individual or group of persons based on their gender, identity traits or beliefs. The attack could be directed to their country of origin, tribe, race, religion or political views.

Social media nowadays has become a place where many feel they can pour out anything they feel like saying to anyone. Some go for fun, others for entertainment while others go just to insult and downgrade others. These online bullying, harassing could lead to mental health problems like trauma. Online hate has lots of negative consequences that may affect a whole community if measures are not taken to reduce the flame. Memories of the 2018 post-electoral tensions in Cameroon, which were exacerbated by the spread of tribal hate messages online are still vivid. 

Many find social media platforms as a place where they can insult, harass people and promote hate. This does not mean it is right and we should not be bystanders. There are great ways to approach such persons and sensitize them. We can do that through online campaigns, share some tips with them, and use hashtags to make our message go viral.

While we are trying to eradicate the wild spread of #HateSpeech, #Misinformation, #Disinformation, Violent extremism online and offline in our communities, we need to mind the tone in which we are passing our message. If we respond to #Hate with hate, we increase hate in our community. We learnt from Martin Luther King that “Hate cannot drive out hate, only LOVE can do that”. 

Choose to #ACT4Peace today! 

You cannot correct someone by insulting them, if you do so they will not learn. They will instead increase their actions and find ways to bring you down. There are a few things you can do to help curb the spread of online hate: 

1. The first thing you need to do is to ACT 
2. You can invite them to join you,  engage in empathic and peace building conversations online.
3. Educate them on the dangers of #HateSpeech both online and offline, e.g. it can lead to acts of #Violence in our communities.
4. You can respond to #HateSpeech by posting something that promotes #Peace. You can undermine hateful content with positive messages that spread tolerance, equality and truth in defense of those being targeted by hate.
5. While trying to build peace, mind you that all cultures are to be respected. Do not use a culture negatively in trying to prove a point. 
6. You can use hashtags like; #Act4Peace, #NoToHate, #NoToHateSpeech, #WeStandTogether, #HateFreeCameroon, #defyhatenow etc.

Thank you for reading this piece and please share with us ways you think we can respond to online hate without spurring people’s anger, more hurtful words and violence.  If we do not act now, online hate will spread its wings so wide that we will not be able to mitigate it. 

To learn more on how to champion peace initiatives in your community, we invite your to read or download free copies of the #defyhatenow Social Media Hate Speech Mitigation Field Guide

#defyhatenow

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