The phenomenon of hate among Polish influencers. Effects and coping strategies

Abstract

The phenomenon of hate and hate speech on the Internet is affecting a growing population of people and causing serious social, psychological, as well as economic consequences. Public figures, celebrities, and influencers, that is online professionals, are particularly vulnerable to hate. The final professional group in particular is subjected to continuous evaluation by observers. Given the scale and nature of their activities, which are strongly dependent on the opinion of observers, it can be hypothesised that they experience hate and harassment speech to a greater extent than other social media participants. The perspective of determining the scale of hate among Polish influencers makes it possible to gain knowledge to effectively counteract and prevent negative social and psychological effects. The purpose of the article is to describe the effects and strategies of influencers coping with the phenomenon of online hate. The study of influencers used content analysis of media messages and individual in-depth interviews. The results of the survey showed that the majority (more than 94%) of influencers have experienced hate, which most often concerned their appearance and statements. More than 40% of the surveyed influencers have suffered the effects of hate. The cognitive value is the creation of a catalogue of the effects of hate and hate speech affecting a professional group such as influencers, which will significantly translate into knowledge of methods how to counteract the hate and hate speech experienced by Internet users. The development of a catalogue of consequences and strategies for dealing with hate and hate speech will also make it easier to identify the potential impact of internal and external factors that can amplify the phenomenon of hate on the Internet.