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The online hate speech cycle of violence: moderating effects of moral disengagement and empathy in the victim-to-perpetrator relationship

Wachs, Sebastian; Bilz, Ludwig; Wettstein, Alexander; Wright, Michelle F.; Krause, Norman; Ballaschk, Cindy; Kansok-Dusche, Julia (2022). The online hate speech cycle of violence: moderating effects of moral disengagement and empathy in the victim-to-perpetrator relationship. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 25 (4), pp. 223-229. 10.1089/cyber.2021.0159

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Adolescents around the globe are increasingly exposed to online hate speech (OHS). And yet little is known about the varying roles of involvement and the determinants of adolescents' hate speech perpetration. Building on previous research, this study aims to test the cycle of violence hypothesis for OHS and to analyze whether moral disengagement (MD) and empathy moderate the victim-to-perpetrator relationship. The sample consists of 3,560 seventh to ninth graders (52.1 percent girls), recruited from 40 schools across Germany and Switzerland. Self-report questionnaires were administered to assess OHS involvement, MD, and empathy. Multilevel analyses revealed that victims of OHS were more likely to report OHS perpetration. In addition, victims of OHS were more likely to report OHS perpetration when they reported higher levels of MD than those with lower levels of MD. Finally, victims of OHS were less likely to report OHS perpetration when they reported higher levels of empathy than those with lower levels of empathy. The findings extend the cycle of violence hypothesis to OHS and highlight the need to address MD and empathy in hate speech prevention. Implications for future research will be discussed.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

PHBern Contributor:

Wettstein, Alexander

ISSN:

2152-2715

Projects:

[19 s 0008 01] Hate Speech als Schulproblem (HATE) Official URL

Language:

English

Submitter:

Jessica Brunner

Date Deposited:

13 Feb 2023 13:38

Last Modified:

27 Apr 2023 14:50

Publisher DOI:

10.1089/cyber.2021.0159

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Hate speech, empathy, moral disengagement

PHBern DOI:

10.57694/6738

URI:

https://phrepo.phbern.ch/id/eprint/6738

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