Abraham H. Foxman and Christopher Wolf (2013) Viral Hate: Containing its Spread on the Internet.
Katherine Kondor · Journal of Second Language Teaching & Research (University of Central Lancashire) · 2015
In this accessible work, Abraham Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, and Christopher Wolf, an internet/privacy lawyer, set out to convince readers to take a more proactive approach to hate on the internet.The authors outline the difficulties of controlling online speech in an American context, with comparative references to several other countries.Foxman and Wolf illustrate that there is no obvious cure for online hate, but offer several different ideas of how it can be combated.The authors open with an example illustrating how the internet has changed in the past twenty years; emphasising how quickly information can be accessed today.Straightaway the reader can begin to understand the potential dangers of the internet.For example, the book's first chapter demonstrates the dangers of online hate which, according to the authors, really can cause more than just psychological trauma: it can even kill.Foxman and Wolf also point out that the internet makes it incredibly effortless for anyone to spread hateful messages, and people are now exposed to communication they never would have experienced in the past.This is particularly dangerous, as anyone can be a publisher on the internet, and are afforded a "shield of online anonymity" not present in an offline world (p.10).Additionally, any variety of merchandise can be sold and purchased on the internet.This makes it exceptionally easy for anyone to find a copy of Mein Kampf or The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, for example, or any sort of hate music.The authors end with the question of whether anything can be done about online hatred and hate speech, setting the theme for the rest of the book.