The Problem

The United States has become increasingly fragmented politically in recent years. Hate speech both drives and reflects this change. Hate speech targeting groups of people is particularly dangerous because, if successfully sold, all members of targeted groups become collectively blamed and subject to potential retribution, including violence within this context, individuals in such groups are dehumanized as they lose their individuality and are viewed as part of a negative category. Hate speech targeting groups has a long history of use to socially prepare populations for upcoming violence in their name. Its growth and intensification, therefore, can act as a proxy for real-word harms. To that end, tracking the sources, intensity and group-based targets of hate speech can be helpful for conflict-prevention and peacebuilding efforts.