Discrimination and hate speech in social media are undoubtedly two of the biggest preoccupations and concerns of this time, given the rapid development of technology and the large number of users.

Firstly, it is important to understand these two concepts. That’s the only way we learn how to reduce them, as I’m not so “ambitious” and optimistic that they can disappear.

Discrimination includes the unfair treatment of individuals because of their characteristics, such as race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, as well as other specifics. In this context, hate speech is the form of
expressing hatred or contempt towards one of these certain groups.

Social media, as a contemporary platform, has enabled the rapid spread of news, events, and certain information across the globe. However, with the benefits of speedy information sharing, of course, come risks and consequences.

In areas with less development and problems of a political nature, which directly means less awareness and less implementation of human rights, the language of hatred and discrimination is always -more-
prominent.

Concretely, from my experience in the field, I consider that the language of hate appears to us more rudely on the ethnic level.

While I was reporting directly from the city of Zvecani, on May 29 of last year, where one of the most violent protests was taking place in front of the Municipality building, opposing the entry of the new Albanian mayor, I did my best not to let my emotions get the better of me whilst reporting. When I say this, I also consider the danger directly from the people who were protesting, and whom I was reporting. However, I was careful not to give even an indication or hint that could incite hate speech.

But when the protest ended, and with it my reporting that day, I saw a completely different picture on social networks. It was depressing to say the least.

On the front pages of many online media sites, and in the posts of various individuals on social networks, some of them with great influence in the public, great hatred appeared. This was followed by thousands of comments that invited violence, murder, and war.

There I can say it was from this key moment, from where I was encouraged to think more deeply about this problem. Since I did not have the “power of a single button” to delete all those comments, unable to do anything else, I worriedly started researching if there is some mechanism that deletes them, or at least controls those actions and words that incite inter-ethnic hatred.

From my research and readings, I find it necessary that social media, especially in the context of our country, must take measures to prevent and combat these phenomena.

When we say in Kosovo that “social media” must take appropriate measures, we also take into account the fact that the media work on the basis of self-regulation, meaning there is no third party that can do our work for us. We have to do it ourselves. How? There needs to be regular implementation of clear policies against hate speech and discrimination. Media bodies must draft and strictly implement clear and rigorous guidelines for the use of social media. Therefore, there is a need for clear rules against hate speech, which not only have abundant sources and references, in terms of writing them, but also in implementation.

For example, technological development allows us to implement technology to identify and delete content that is considered discriminatory and contains hate speech automatically. So, the words are coded and subject to “deletion” e platform automatically. Of course, for these interactions, cooperation with authorities and organizations beyond the media is needed. In my opinion, the initiation and proactivity should come from the media itself.

Hate speech on social media must be fought because of the negative impact it has on society. It can cause divisions, conflicts and discrimination against different groups. In addition, it can lead to increased intolerance and division in society . Therefore, it is important to take action to prevent and eliminate hate speech on social media to create a safer and more respectful environment for all users.