Social bubbles and hate speech on networks

Abstract

The article examines social bubbles and hate speech on networks. Initially, it explores how social groups are essential for the formation of the individual and how the search for similarity leads to the rejection of differences, according to the psychoanalytic theory of "narcissism of small differences". The methodology consists of theoretical analysis of classic texts and academic articles on society, psychology, and group processes, aiming to understand the phenomenon of the formation of “social bubbles” and the production of hate speech by these groups present on digital social networks. The results indicate that excessive narcissism leads to isolation in homogeneous groups, refusing differences and generating hate speech as a defense mechanism, facilitated by the virtual environment that facilitates anonymity. It is concluded that these bubbles result from a psychic process of intolerance to the different, exacerbated by the dynamics of social networks.