Ricerc@Sapienza

The phenomenon of hate speech has become a predominant component of public debate and a point of
great interest in academic research. Plenty of studies investigating the various expressions of hate
speech, including online hate speech, have been conducted. Despite the efforts made, however, the
outlines of this phenomenon remain extremely uncertain. In fact, limitations in the intention to reduce hate
speech to a purely legal approach is emerging. Even though the latter was originally the dominant
approach, it appears to be inadequate for capturing a fluid and ever-changing phenomenon such as the
hate speech today. Despite the similarities with offline hatred, online hatred has widened to include the
most diverse expressions, messages, and hostility practices, which can be either organized or individual,
and often implicit. All these features proper of the online hate speech make it difficult to establish,
according to the specific circumstances, whether these are forms openly aimed at inciting hatred and
violence against target groups likely to harm victims. Nonetheless, distinguishing the different roles of the
actors involved into the spread of hate speech (e.g. perpetrators of online speech, more or less aware
spreaders of hate, victims) can be a source of uncertainty. Building on this foundation, the article aims to
investigate hate speech of today’s world through a multidimensional framework fit into the context of
hybrid media. Moving from Lasswell (1948)’s Communication Model, this contribution illustrates the
importance of observing all the dimensions involved in hate speech, including the communicator, the
message, the receiver, considering as well the digital media’s context and the related specific properties,
and the consequences arising from the interaction between the different dimensions. The idea behind this
proposal is that in order to understand both mechanisms and hallmarks of ordinary online hate practices,
it is necessary to move away from specific and fragmented approaches. These, indeed, (selectively)
analyse specific portions of the phenomenon while losing sight of other dimensions’ roles and their action
and feedback relations. The transformative nature of hate speech requires the adoption of an innovative
approach, which cannot be limited to the compilation of a list of examples and cases to be banned. On
the contrary, it should aim for tuning in to cultural and digital practices used by users in the production of
hate speech. Because, if it is true that online hate does not differ from hate tout court, it is also true that
progressive communicative shifts might occur and lead to the transformation of forms of discrimination
into something apparently harmless such as “just funny stuff”.