Beyond Hate Speech: Online Rumors and Out-Group Resentment in Divided Societies (Comparative Political Studies)

The research at hand goes beyond the well-established consequences of hate speech to examine how internet rumors affect intergroup tensions in split nations. By means of a pre-registered survey experiment with 3,075 Hindu social media users in India, the study uses fact-checks, debriefs, and ethically sensitive information treatments. Results show that even in the absence of hate speech, minor rumors have the power to dramatically change group sentiments and amplify conflict-related emotions, especially when they are framed around perceived injustice. These findings highlight the necessity for more extensive policy conversations on digital disinformation and its societal repercussions, as they imply that the destabilizing impacts are inherent to social media platforms.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00104140251381753