Online Hate Speech on Twitter from the Perspective of Pragmatics
Zhen Liu · International Journal of Social Sciences and Public Administration · 2024
Online hate speech has become a prevalent issue in today's digital age, particularly on social media platforms like Twitter. This study examines online hate speech on Twitter through the lens of pragmatics, focusing on the linguistic aspects and communicative intentions behind such discourse. Drawing on speech act theory and pragmatics frameworks, the research delves into the characteristics and manifestations of hate speech in various online contexts. Using a mixed-methods approach, a dataset of hate speech tweets was collected and analyzed to identify patterns, language features, and underlying meanings in online hate speech interactions. The findings reveal not only the prevalence of hate speech on Twitter but also shed light on the pragmatic strategies employed by users to convey hateful messages. This study contributes to a better understanding of online hate speech dynamics and highlights the importance of considering pragmatic aspects in analyzing and addressing such harmful discourse in digital spaces. The implications of this research extend to social media moderation practices, policy development, and interventions to mitigate the spread of online hate speech.