The Phenomenon of Cyberhate: Analysis of Conceptual Approaches and Empirical Findings of Youth’s Cyberhate Experiences in France

Abstract

The article presents an analysis of the content and essence of the phenomenon of cyberhate as well as the synthesis of the conceptual approaches and empirical findings of youth’s cyberhate experiences in France. Specifically, we explore recent developments and conclusions of research on cyberhate and the involvement of young people as exposed, victims, or perpetrators in France to determine the current state of knowledge. We focus on the prevalence of online hate experiences among adolescents, including cyberhate exposure, victimization, and perpetration. Moreover, we analyze whether the youth’s socio-demographic characteristics and individual-level variables appear to be influential in the context of the youth’s cyberhate experiences. We present recent studies in France showing that young people of ethnic minority backgrounds as well as those who display low life satisfaction are at higher risk of becoming victims of cyberhate. In addition, our overview suggests that cyberhate perpetrators frequently report being insulted and bullied at school and suffer from online victimization. At the same time, cyberhate perpetration is also shown to be strongly linked with time spent online, belonging to deviant youth groups, and adopting positive attitudes towards violence and racism. Furthermore, we analyze recent empirical findings concerning a wide range of online contextual and environmental factors in youth’s involvement in cyberhate utilizing two theoretical perspectives of routine activity and problem behavior theories. We conclude by discussing the implications of empirical research for practitioners and intervention strategies aimed to prevent and address cyberhate and create a safer and more inclusive online environment.