Hate in the Polish Internet. IRCenter Study

illustration: bing.com/create

• Among older adults (55–65 years old), this proportion is relatively low at (19%)
• Among younger people, the majority have already encountered hate, with 60% aged 18–24
• and 50% of Polish internet users aged 25–34.

- Hate is hate speech. It includes harmful judgments and negative opinions that appear massively, not only online. We also encounter hate in everyday life, in public life, but it’s most prevalent online. Schools, for example, are a breeding ground for hate - says Janusz Sielicki, partner at IRCenter, in an interview with Newseria Biznes. - Younger people are more active online, participate more often, and are also more sensitive. Unfortunately, herd mentality often takes effect here; we choose a target, and everyone attacks them. Hate also intensifies when someone reacts, and seeing the victim suffer fuels further attacks.


For the youngest users, who are most exposed to hate, we have even more detailed data. The NASK report "Teens 3.0" estimates that up to 75 percent of Polish students have encountered cyberbullying. Like in the real world, online hate mainly concerns:

• social views (38%),
• appearance (35%),
• political views (30%),
• hobbies and interests (24%).

- Even having certain interests can be the target of hate. Relatively less often mentioned are factors like sexual orientation, age, gender, or disability, which is because those who engage in hate usually choose a weaker target - explains Janusz Sielicki, quoted by Newseria Biznes. - If you are a white, healthy, adult male or female, the likelihood of being a hate victim is much lower. That’s why youth are the most at risk.

Increasing awareness, persistent passivity

The IRCenter study also examined the knowledge and awareness of Polish internet users regarding the dangers and consequences of online hate.

• 77% of respondents heard of cases where hateful comments had a negative impact on their targets;
• over 60% witnessed someone receiving offensive comments online;
• nearly 90% of respondents believe hateful comments are too frequent on the internet.

Despite this awareness and an almost unanimous judgment of the issue, there is a lack of knowledge on how to react when witnessing cyberbullying. While 78% believe that hate and hate speech are issues that must be fought, the majority do not or do not want to participate actively in this fight.

• More than half (58%) do nothing,
• one in three reports hate to site administrators,
• only one in five (19%) defends the hate victim.

- We fear that if we stand up for someone, we’ll get the same label and become the target of the same wave of hate as the person we’re trying to defend - explains Janusz Sielicki. - And it’s not easy, as hate appears suddenly, like a tidal wave, from nowhere, and within a few hours, it floods us and can destroy the psyche of the person targeted.

Types and techniques of haters

Dr. Paweł Trzaskowski, head of the language section at Polish Radio, analyzed hate in online comments. The researcher identified and described mechanisms of harm in comments. In terms of discrediting techniques used in hate speech, we can distinguish:

• mockery (ridiculing a person, making fun of their traits),
• deprecation (insults, slurs),
• labeling (assigning a person to a single, negatively associated category),
• distraction (referring to topics entirely unrelated to the issue),
• and also provocation (e.g., attacking sensitive points such as intimacy or family).

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Dr. Trzaskowski also distinguishes several types of haters:

• "jokers" (aim to cause laughter),
• "shouters" (use short, often vulgar statements),
• "indignant" (express their dissatisfaction),
• "informants" (share knowledge with others).

While hate speech varies in language, with commentators using all available linguistic means to discredit opponents, hate techniques are repetitive and easy to identify. Once they are known, it’s easy to predict what the comment section under an article will look like.