A virtual roundtable with the authors of the book.

The event is being jointly held as a networking output of the 'Social Media Networks and (Dis)information' research group supported by Global Institutes' Research Grant and the University of Bradford's Department of Peace Studies and International Development as part of their 50^th anniversary celebrations.

Book Description

Using expert interviews and focus groups, this book investigates the theoretical and practical intersection of misinformation and social media hate in contemporary societies.

Social Media and Hate argues that these phenomena, and the extreme violence and discrimination they initiate against targeted groups, are connected to the socio-political contexts, values and behaviours of users of social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, ShareChat, Instagram and WhatsApp. The argument moves from a theoretical discussion of the practices and consequences of sectarian hatred, through a methodological evaluation of quantitative and qualitative studies on this topic, to four qualitative case studies of social media hate, and its effects on groups, individuals and wider politics in India, Brazil, Myanmar and the UK.

The technical, ideological and networked similarities and connections between social media hate against people of African and Asian descent, indigenous communities, Muslims, Dalits, dissenters, feminists, LGBTQIA communities, Rohingya and immigrants across the four contexts is highlighted, stressing the need for an equally systematic political response.

This is an insightful text for scholars and academics in the fields of Cultural Studies, Community Psychology, Education, Journalism, Media and Communication Studies, Political Science, Social Anthropology, Social Psychology, and Sociology.

About the authors

Shakuntala Banaji

Shakuntala Banaji is Professor of Media, Culture and Social Change in the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Ramnath Bhat

Ramnath Bhat is postdoctoral fellow at the International Centre for Advanced Studies in New Delhi and visiting fellow in the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

About the panelists

Dr Sunil Mitra Kumar

Dr Sunil Kumar is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at the King's India Institute. Before joining King’s, Sunil received his PhD in economics from the University of East Anglia, MA in economics from the Delhi School of Economics, and BA in Mathematics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University.

Dr Sudhir Selvaraj

Dr. Sudhir Selvaraj is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Peace Studies and International Development at the University of Bradford. He recently gained his PhD from the King’s College London. Additionally, he has worked in student affairs for over a decade in the US and UK. He is also a playwright. His plays on conflicts in South Asia have been produced in India, the US and the UK.

Vignesh Rajahmani

Vignesh Rajahmani is co-lead of the Social Media Networks and (Dis)information research group. He is a PhD student at the King’s India Institute at King's. His research so far has been across the disciplines of political science, sociology, and business studies, with professional experience in public policy, legislative research and political consulting of over 5 years.