Fanaticism on digital media: hate speech related to football on social networks

In this thesis study, hate speech, which are released in circulation by groups or individual users on digital media platforms Facebook and Twitter networks and supposed to be effect indoor and outdoor hate crimes, is researched. In most general definition, hate speech is expression ways which arises from intolerance, spreads, defends, incites or legitimate hate. In other words, it is manifestation of intolerance. This manifestation involves extreme prejudgements and preconceptions. For this reason, hate speech blocks evaluation of other perspectives by harming tolerance and mutual respect. By their nature of structure, digital media tools enables user's creating content and spreading it fast because they have functions like interactivity, hipermedia and rapid deployment. These networks makes circulation of texts which are negative, segregationist, sexist, exclusionist and involves hate speech, easier. Moreover, by creating interaction between medias, they accelerate reaching to individuals. Therefore, research of examples which are supposed to have effect and take an important role on hate speech production is important. Purpose of this thesis is to reveal the categories of these hate speeches which are circulated by contents created by users in digital media. Within this purpose, in Facebook and Twitter networks, fans of four big football teams in Turkey; Galatasaday, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor are taken under research. Hate speech examples produced by these groups and individuals are examined. In this context analysis made biliteral, evaluating content of news and comments. At this point, this study consists of five sections. In first section, hate speech and hate crime notions and these notions' relations with regulations and freedom of expression are mentioned. Hatred reveals hate speech with speech pratics which are circulated by speech that is targeting society's specific groups, marginalising, humiliating and including prejudgments. Shortly hate speech which reveals with hatred is manifestation of intolerance and wishing harm on a group or ignoring them. One of the most important results of hate speech is that it can provide basis to violence, and therefore hate crime. According to the judgement which is accepted by Committee of Ministers of The Council of Europe in 1997, hate speech is involving kinds of hatred expressions which are spreding, inciting, defending and lagimating kind of expressions based on racist hatred, foreigner hostiliy, anti-semitism, aggressive nationalism and intolerance. In addition to that, European Court of Human Rights doesn't evaluate hate speech category in concept of freedom of expression.XIV In the following section of the study; fanaticism, culture of partiality and positioning of fanaticisim in media. At the present time, football is one of most popular sports branch. Because of this it became an industrial game which is folowed by big number of people. When considered as a sports branch, in basis of football there is friendship and peace. However by act of media, sometimes it becomes a medium to spread hatred speach. With football programs which are broadcasted on TV, media organs which belong to big media establishments, comments of football players and shared contents and written comments on socaial media expressions involving hatred speech is being released in circulation. In addition to that, these expression are spread and produced again and again. In online and offline environments individiuals become people who are hating rival team's players, fans and referees instead of being just a fan. In a further stage, they become fanatics who create text contents involving hate speeches. On the other hand, when news of Turkey's football media are examined, especially in headlines, it is seen that a military language is used and news are positioned on nationalism. In third section of the study, football and media relation is examined on aspects of conventional and digital media. In this section, language of conventional sports media in Turkey and news actors are mentioned and properties of digital media are evaluated in detail. In addition to that, in this section previos studies made on hate speech in sports media. In this context hate speech examples are provided from conventional and digital media. Beside conventional mass media like television and newspaper, digital media based on internet also has an important role in creation of racial, religious, national and ethnic hatred and spreading hate speech. Foundation of internet is laid in 1969 for supporting military research projects. At the present time became a network which has 2.9 billion users in the world. With development of many digital media platforms, internet became an area in which ordinary users can create content and circulate them. Because of this, unlike conventional media, digital media allows individuals and groups generate their own content and in a way their own media. In the context of hate speech; digital media helps users' creating and spreading hate speech with its properties like interactivity, rapid deployment. With these speeches, marginalisation between different groups and individuals in society increases.This situation may cause repress of minorities' freedom of expression. In addition, people can express their thoughts which they can't talk in their daily life, involving segregationalism and hate concept anonymously easier on digital networks. We can show examples for these networks which enable these contents being circulated; Facebook which is social sharing network and Twitter which is a microblog. In next section of the study; after examining examples from media companies' social media profiles and social media networks of four big football teams, the subject is switched to fan grops which is forming main part of the research and method of research is provided. In this part, by making discoursive analysis of these XV groups on Facebook and Twitter, their hate speech examples are revaled. For getting comparison data, some examples from media companies' official Facebook and Twitter profiles are provided and offical profiles of four big football team are examined. As hypothesis of the researh, hate speech's conscious or unconscious reproduction and circulate by groups and users in Facebook and Twitter platforms is evaluated. On this hypothesis, in the whole of research, making hate speeches circulated by digital media visible and creating awareness are the purposes. In study's hypothetical context critical discourse analysis method, which is developed by Van Dijk, is used. In this context, name of the most known groups of four biggest football teams' their profile and cover pictures, and the sentences they express themselves on Facebook and Twitter networks are taken in consideration as a text. Analysis table which is developed by Van Dijk is rearranged in most suitable way for Facebook and Twitter networks. Contents shared by fans and comments that are made by other users which are social network users are taken as two seperate categories. In the research, micro analysis and macro analysis categories which are appropriate for critical analysis are used. On this categorisation, representation of contents on Facebook and Twitter platforms are evaluated in macro analysis section. Hate speech (which are circulated on Facebook and Twitter) categories, targeted groups, sentences and visuals are evaluated in micro analysis. When research is made on these categories, screenshots of remarkable contents which are involving hate speech and written by groups on Facebook and Twitter are added to the study. In this study, unattended observation technic is used. Group profiles which have and produce hate speech on Facebook and Twitter networks are examined. Universe of the study consists of social sharing networks and microblogs. And the sample is consisting of sharing network named Facebook and microblog named Twitter. In the last section of study, there are interaction between different medias and some suggestions for struggling against hate speech. In television world, programs which are produced for football are not limited only with match broadcasting. Beside live match, programs in which match scores, formation, referee or decisions of coach are commented and evaluated are broadcasted. At the present time, with digital medias like Facebook and Twitter, fans, television programs and also football players make comments by their profiles and accounts. These comments are oftenly are becoming subject of the programs which are broadcasted on conventional media. In other words, digital media transforms conventional media and creates interaction between medias. In context of struggling against hate speech, Tribün magazine forum and as a positive football player example, Didier Drogba is examined. A wide section is taken for digital media literacy which is one of the most important method of struggle, and some suggestions are provided. XVI Indications which are gained at the end of this study are; as in conventional sports media, digital media invites creation of expressions which have aggressive, nationalist, racist and sexist hate speeches and spreads with interaction between medias. Moreover, it is seen that oftenly political hate speech texts are used against rival teams' fans. Key Words: Sport, Football, Fanaticism, Facebook, Twitter, Fan Groups, Digital Media, Hate Speech.