I Hate Cats!!!

Stockpiles of hate—fresh from the can

The internet connects us—but it also makes us vulnerable. Online communication has never been so simple as it is today. But in this same space where everything and everyone is constantly accessible, we also see the dark sides: we encounter hate and harassment everywhere on the internet. Behind the apparent virtual distances, real attacks are hiding; opinions are turned into personal injuries. This doesn’t just happen to celebrities or especially active users. Online hate can affect anyone and everyone—even you. We often think “That won’t happen to me. That only happens to other people.” But in fact, more and more people feel intimidated by internet attacks and often become afraid to share their positions online. This retreat from digital spaces is not a faraway problem; it happens to our neighbors, friends, and sometimes ourselves. When people pull back from certain subjects out of fear, the internet loses voices, faces and perspectives.

Hate is more than simply anger: whereas anger over grievances can also lead to change, hate only seeks to destroy—often out of frustration, a feeling of powerlessness or perceived peer pressure. Online hate is especially problematic because it doesn’t end on the screen: it directly impacts our everyday lives. We then experience the psychological and social consequences—fear, exclusion, radicalized attitudes and even real-world bullying—offline in our families, schools, workplaces and communities.