Big Smiles – Silent Suffering

Not every happy face tells a happy story

Online hate can affect everyone—but it doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. Young women, people with migrant backgrounds and queer people are especially frequent targets. Nearly 90 percent of people in Germany have noticed that online hate is increasing. One in two people has been directly affected or been the recipient of hate messages.

The consequences are dramatic, as confirmed by the study Lauter Hass, leiser Rückzug (Loud Hatred, Quiet Withdrawal): many people—especially members of marginalized groups—pull back from interactions, post less or not at all, avoid open discussions. Over 40 percent of the people surveyed reported “quiet withdrawal”: they delete or pause their social media profiles because their fear has become too great. Nearly 60 percent express themselves less often on political subjects due to online hate. This silence has consequences for all of us. When voices are silenced, important perspectives are lost—particularly those that were already often invisible in traditional media.

Those who are directly affected often suffer from fear, stress, withdrawal, damaged self-esteem or even physical symptoms. Their feelings of powerlessness increase. Observers suffer as well: they become more cautious, feel helpless, or scarcely dare to express their own opinions anymore.

There is a growing fear that hate-filled viewpoints are becoming a part of “normal life”—because what starts online leaves its mark in the real world. Therefore, it’s up to politicians, platforms and society alike to protect people from online abuse and hate.