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Article published In: (Im)politeness and Moral Order in Online Interactions:
Edited by Chaoqun Xie
[Internet Pragmatics 1:2] 2018
► pp. 329–351

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Impoliteness online

Hate speech in online interactions

 | University of Innsbruck
Published online: 10 January 2019
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ip.00015.kie
Abstract
This paper provides an overview of the strategies and techniques of hate speech in online discourse (on online discourse or computer-mediated communication in general cf. e.g., Schwarzhaupt-Scholz, Dorothea. 2004. Impeachment im digitalen Zeitalter. München: Fischer.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Schmidt, Jan-Hinrik. 2013. Social Media. Wiesbaden: Springer. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Dittler, Ullrich, and Michael Hoyer (eds.). 2014. Social Network – Die Revolution der Kommunikation. München: Kopaed.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Seargeant and Tagg 2014). Based on a collection of online texts belonging to different genres (discussion forums, blogs, social media, tweets, homepages), this paper will provide a qualitative analysis of destructively impolite utterances in online interactions. This analysis will make use of the standard typologies of impoliteness and their recent extensions (such as Culpeper, Jonathan. 1996. “Towards an anatomy of impoliteness.” Journal of Pragmatics 25(3): 349–367. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar, . 2005. “Impoliteness and entertainment in the television quiz show: The Weakest Link .” Journal of Politeness Research 1(1): 35–72. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar, . 2011. Impoliteness: Using Language to Cause Offence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; . 1997. “Varieties of rudeness: Types and functions of impolite utterances.” Functions of Language 4 (2): 251–287. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar, . 2008. “Impoliteness and emotional arguments.” Journal of Politeness Research 4(2): 243–265. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Kleinke, Sonja, and Birte Bös. 2015. “Intergroup rudeness and the metapragmatics of its negotiation in online discussion fora.” Pragmatics 25(1): 47–71. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar), but some modifications and elaborations of these typologies will also be taken into account. Moreover, social, cultural and political reasons for the recent dramatic increase in hate speech in online interactions will be explored. Finally, the problem of how to deal with this destructive use of language will be briefly discussed and some possible solutions will be suggested (cf. Banks, James. 2010. “Regulating hate speech online.” International Review of Law, Computers & Technology 24(3): 233–239. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar).
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Analysis of examples
  • 3.Reasons for and strategies against hate speech
  • 4.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
References (52)
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