When Dissent by Football Fans on Social Media Turns to Hate: Call for Stricter Measures

TY - JOUR

T1 - When Dissent by Football Fans on Social Media Turns to Hate

T2 - Call for Stricter Measures

AU - Arimoro, Augustine

AU - Elgujja, Abba

PY - 2019

Y1 - 2019

N2 - This article examines the use of abusive language by football fans on the social media and the lack of strict measures by the social media sites to take down derogatory posts directed at football stars. In doing so, the article highlights cases of where football stars plying their trade in the English Premier League have been targeted for abusive remarks on the social media. The article finds that social media sites do not consider an abusive statement as a hate speech unless it touches on matters of faith, sexual orientation ill health or sexual orientation/identity. Another finding is that little is being done to enforce stricter measures to censor abuse on social media sites. The argument in the article is that any abuse capable of causing emotional pain or distress on the victim should be considered as a hate speech. The recommendation is that the law should define insults capable of causing emotional injury as hate and for the application of stricter measures in dealing with derogatory remarks on social media.

AB - This article examines the use of abusive language by football fans on the social media and the lack of strict measures by the social media sites to take down derogatory posts directed at football stars. In doing so, the article highlights cases of where football stars plying their trade in the English Premier League have been targeted for abusive remarks on the social media. The article finds that social media sites do not consider an abusive statement as a hate speech unless it touches on matters of faith, sexual orientation ill health or sexual orientation/identity. Another finding is that little is being done to enforce stricter measures to censor abuse on social media sites. The argument in the article is that any abuse capable of causing emotional pain or distress on the victim should be considered as a hate speech. The recommendation is that the law should define insults capable of causing emotional injury as hate and for the application of stricter measures in dealing with derogatory remarks on social media.

UR - https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3644645

M3 - Article

SN - 1596-0617

VL - 6

JO - Unimaid Journal of Public Law

JF - Unimaid Journal of Public Law

IS - 1

ER -