IN a hyperconnected world where social media rules the roost, the rise of hate speech has become a pressing global issue. Even though xenophobia and bigotry are not new problems, the rapid advancement and reach of modern technology have resulted in an alarming rise in hate speech.
With these concerns in mind, the United Nations General Assembly in July 2021 adopted a resolution to promote interreligious and intercultural dialogue. It declared June 18 as International Day for Countering Hate Speech.
For a country as diverse and vibrant as Malaysia, this day is an especially poignant reminder that our words – even those casually and thoughtlessly uttered – can cause real harm.
“We need to acknowledge the impact of online hate speech to disrupt the cycle of fear, hate and misinformation,” said Content Forum executive director Mediha Mahmood.
“If left to fester, the division and discrimination fuelled by hate speech can undermine the very fabric of social cohesion. I think we all have the ethical responsibility to counter hate speech and explore effective strategies to end it.”
This was the rationale behind a lively panel discussion at the recent Surf’s Up Digital Literacy Summit, co-organised by the Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia (Content Forum) and social media platform TikTok.
Moderated by emcee and presenter Sheahnee Iman Lee, the panel featured a wide range of perspectives and comprised speakers Sazzy Falak, a parenting influencer, content creator and actress; Ceddy Ang, a food content creator and entrepreneur; Gandhi Palanisamy, a lawyer and legal content creator; Wathshlah Naidu, executive director of the Centre for Independent Journalism; and Hafizin Tajudin, head of Public Policy, Malaysia, Tiktok.
Hate speech and its discontent
The Content Code 2022, a set of guidelines for ethical content creation and consumption developed by the Content Forum, outlines what is considered hate speech.
According to the Content Code 2022, hate speech refers to any portrayal of words, speech or pictures that aims to defame, denigrate or otherwise devalue a person or group based on race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, gender, sexual orientation or disability.
Lawyer Palanisamy pointed out that there are existing laws in Malaysia governing hate speech. This includes Sections 503 and 505 of Malaysia’s Penal Code, which prohibit violent threats against others and restrict statements intended to cause fear or cause public mischief.
Meanwhile, Article 8 of the Federal Constitution explicitly prohibits discrimination based on religion, ethnicity, descent, place of birth or gender.
“It is important for netizens to be aware of this because a lot of people do not know that it is a crime or that commenters can also be sued for defamation over untrue statements about someone,” he added.
Delving further into the root causes of hate speech, Naidu said the law should serve as a last measure as regulations alone cannot address existing societal divisions.
“The information on social media is just another layer because if you are already divided by race, religion, gender, that is the basis for your attack. It is better to get out of the echo chambers,” she said.
“Very often, we talk about the role of social media as a space that amplifies hate but if we look at it positively, it can also be a space to challenge that hate.”
Misinterpretations of seemingly harmless content, especially if the misunderstanding touches on sensitivities of race and religion, can also inadvertently explode into hateful conversations if not managed carefully.
The online space, where there is often not enough room for non-verbal cues, such as tone of voice, can be a minefield as a result.
Ang shared his experience in explaining
the difference between pork-free and halal-certified eateries.
“You would think that food would help me escape from all this drama and toxicity but no, people get upset over food content. Can you imagine? Food!” he exclaimed.
“The business is owned by a Malay who is a Muslim, so I mentioned ‘pork-free’ because they do not have a halal certification,” he said. Despite this clear distinction, he said some commenters misconstrued this to claim he was encouraging Muslims to eat at non-halal places.
Often lost in these broader conversations is the impact hate speech has on those on the receiving end.
Speaking about her experience upon her entry into the local entertainment industry as a young woman in her early twenties, Falak said online gossip and speculation almost “broke” her.
“I was young and I just could not understand why these people were saying all sorts of nasty things about me.”
She added she had to grow out of it on her own and sought guidance through self-help.
Falak revealed she now worries about what her young daughters will read and see online.
“I am worried that they will be attacked or harassed as people can sometimes be nasty. Long gone are the days when children were ostracised in school. Now they are ostracised on social media.”
Turning the tide of hate
While there is no single, clear-cut quick fix for hate speech, what is clear is that everyone, from content creators and consumers to digital platforms and policymakers, needs to play a proactive role in combating hate.
With the sheer volume of information generated online daily, self-regulation is crucial in chipping away harmful content.
Naidu shared a simple principle: pause before reacting and acting intentionally.
“We constantly check our content, the source of where it comes from. Is it a reliable source? And then only act – and act here means, sometimes, just not forwarding,” she said.
She added that teaching critical thinking and digital literacy to children from a young age is also equally important.
Meanwhile, Falak said she introduced social media to her children only after they were much older.
“I monitor them daily. I think parents need to look out for their children, no matter how old they are.”
She also added that parents should not shy away from discussing issues of cyberbullying and responsible online behaviour with their children.
Sharing an industry perspective of the social media ecosystem, Tajudin said users and platforms can nip hate in the bud by not sharing or discussing negative content.
He noted that users should also be proactive in reporting any harmful content they have encountered so that platforms can
immediately take action.
“Foster positivity, which we are currently lacking,” he added. “For example, when we encounter content that we dislike, we do not stop there. We complain in our bubbles and create echo chambers to criticise but we do not take proactive steps to create and share uplifting narratives.”
Palanisamy echoed this sentiment, calling on content creators and consumers to be more mindful of what they post and share.
“Although we may have a positive mindset of ‘I just want to share this joke’, we have to look at it from a holistic perspective. How is it going to impact others? How is it going to be perceived? As content creators or consumers, we all have a responsibility to push something positive to make the change that we want to see in the world,” he said.
The most powerful weapons against online hate speech is empathy and respect.
“When we talk about things like digital literacy and critical thinking, we are talking about empowering people to self-regulate, critically analyse information and engage in respectful discussions. All these, coupled with empathy, can serve to dilute hateful narratives and messages,” said Mahmood.
This article was contributed by the Communications and Multimedia Content Forum of Malaysia. The Content Forum also offers social media users resources to
practise self-regulation, notably through the Content Code. For more information,
visit www.contentforum.my.
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