Hate speech just a click away

Experts: Social media makes sharing negativity and falsehoods easy

PETALING JAYA: It only takes one click to spread hatred online – and that is why it is so dangerous, political analysts say.

Hate politics, especially during elections, often sets out to demonise opponents and it has become easier now because of social media, says political analyst Prof Datuk Seri Dr Syed Arabi Syed Abdullah Idid.

“In the past, there was no social media, so hate politics was rather contained,” he said.

“It used to be either through mass media or surat layang (poison-pen letters).

“But with social media, off it goes with one press of a button, and people react so quickly. They just feel the hate in the air,” he added when contacted.

In pre-social media days, Dr Syed said it was usually politicians who created the agenda but today, anything could be misconstrued and turned into something political.

“It’s not just politicians but supporters and ‘spectators’ too are in the game (of spreading hate politics),” he said.

He added that the nature of social media sometimes encouraged users to pass on a message without thinking twice even if they had no intention to create ill will.

This, he said, was not only confined to politics but also against businesses, governmental and non-governmental institutions, religion and even sports, among others.

Another analyst, Prof Dr Nik Ahmad Kamal Nik Mahmod, said hate politics had become rampant because certain quarters wanted to stir up emotions that would “easily persuade and influence people on issues”.

“Another thing is that people in this country love sensational stories, and hate politics is a form of sensationalisation,” he said, adding that reasonable people would not be eas- ily persuaded to spread such stories.

However, hate politics was unlike hate crime as perpetrators of the former were not prosecuted, Dr Nik Ahmad said.

“Hate politics is not a crime until there is harassment and intimidation,” he added.

“Hate politics is immoral because the object of the hatred is attacked from all angles and suffers like a bullying victim,” Dr Nik Ahmad said.

Furthermore, he added that the freedom of the Internet made it difficult to deal with hate politics.

However, he believed that hate politics, just like fake news, could be dealt with effectively by formulating a new law.

He explained that hate politics was similar to cyber-bullying in the way it could affect a person emotionally and psychologically, and that should justify legislation.

Dr Syed, however, believed that there should be restraint and matu- rity among Malaysians instead of legislation to tackle the matter.

He said there should be “some form of cordiality” in online dealings and netizens should not blindly circulate messages that could create a sense of hate among the people.

He also felt that it could be difficult to trace the actual originator of hate messages given the number of times something could be shared and forwarded.

“It is best for the Government not to interfere in the circulation of information unless it touches on religion or national security, but you have to be very clear about (what is prohibited).

“You cannot give a loose definition and stop everyone from sharing (things),” he added.

Dr Syed also said victims of online hate should lodge reports with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to seek justice.