The covid-19 pandemic has given new scope for the establishment of fear as an individual and collective experience. Uncertainty, insecurity, perceived vulnerability and worsening social inequalities have contributed to intensify a personal experience - largely mediated by psychological processes - that is also socially and politically constructed. This atmosphere, it is argued, has been particularly favorable to the flourishing of hate speech which, fueled by social and political cleavages, becomes an instrument for populist leaderships and threatens the future of our democracies. This conference, held within the scope of a study on hate speech in social networks among Azorean youth, aims to invite social scientists, from different disciplinary fields and from both sides of the Atlantic, to present reflections, perspectives, and research results in this field. We also hope to contribute to foster the prevention and combat of hate speech in social networks. The conference is organized around the following four thematic areas:

1. Fear and Hatred: the malaise of contemporary societies

2. Hate and freedom of speech: where do we stand?

3. Online Hate Speech: How to counteract?

4. Youth and Digital Public Sphere: New Practices and Struggles to Uphold Human Rights

May 4-5, 2023

University of the Azores

Anfitheatre VIII