Hate Speech on Social Media: “Dunyaerkeklergunu” Hashtag on Twitter

Introduction

In today’s technology world, the internet and the digitalization process made possible by the internet have brought many changes. These changes had a structure that could make masses take action. Having developed along with the internet and thanks to the effects of digitalization, social media platforms have become virtual places people frequently visit. The fact that these platforms are easily accessible via mobile devices also have an important role to play in frequent use of them. At the beginning of 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic that affected the globe, those that had to stay at home started using social media platforms more often to be up to date on the events at home and abroad while also abiding by the rules of social distancing (Milliyet, 2020). As people were trying to get used to the new norms that came with the coronavirus, and to discharge themselves in spaces that would allow for social distancing, social media has become the best point of escape. The digital environment has transformed into a tool used for blowing off steam for people obligated to stay at home due to restrictions. Under these circumstances, far away from face-to-face communication, hiding behind screens and keyboards, many people started acting as “cyberbullies” on new media environments. Originally serving for socializing, sharing, and getting informed, these environments were turned into tools producing animosity and hate speech by cyberbullies. The root cause of this phenomenon is thought to be the fact that face-to-face communication is not a priority on social media platforms and that they are virtual environments used on the internet without restriction and supervision. On social media platforms, individuals can change their names and pictures, and can create an identity that has nothing to do with their real life. This way, users find the opportunity to be someone they are not. To think that this privilage, which is provided by social media platforms, has no downside would be daydreaming. Social media platforms have structures that are shaped in accordance with defined parameters. One of these parameters is users’ personal choices formed in line with their digital footprints. Depending on the content of accounts that are chosen to be followed, users are presented with content which is thought to have a potential to be liked by them. Activities such as searching and liking on social media make up our digital footprints. These digital footprints show the preferences on content. The content preferences make it possible for the users to interact with likeminded users. Having failed to find opportunities to socialize in real life due to COVID-19 pandemic and having started to view social media as a point of escape, some users think that they can create unlimited and unrestrained hate in this synergistic environment created by similar content creators, where identities can be hidden. In this study, by emphasizing hate generation on social media, hate generation on men, and discriminative and pejorative statements on Twitter under “dunyaerkeklergunu” hashtag were examined via content analysis method within the context of symbolic interaction theory. Conducted on a total of 500 posts, the examination was based on 18 subjects such as follower numbers of users that used “dunyaerkeklergunu” hashtag within their posts, the total number of tweets on their accounts, whether or not the tweet included photographs, etc. The goal of this research is to reveal the hate speech generated under “19 kasım dunyaerkeklergunu” hashtag, and by way of doing this, to prove that hate speech is not only generated on women, but can be generated on men as well. Within this context, the ultimate goal is to show that generating hate has no relation with gender. Another goal is to show that the internet has evolved to move away from its initial values of sharing, helping, and freedom of thought, and that social media has become the best example of this phenomenon within the context of hate speech.