Taxonomy of violent communication and the discourse of hate on the internet

Even though the Law has always focused on words that are offensive and damaging, and which convey hate or incite to violence, during the last few years there has been a growing preoccupation with the capacity of cyberspace to augment the harmful effect of some expressions or forms of violent communication. This paper approaches the topic beginning with the observation and analysis of more than 250,000 tweets published in Spanish after the Paris attacks that victimized those responsible for the satirical French weekly Charlie Hebdo and its workers. After several screenings and readings of the tweets, the different typologies of communication with violent and hate content have been identified and this has allowed for the construction of a Taxonomy of Violent Communication and Hate Speech on the Internet. Also, the results of prevalence studies are analysed and they demonstrate firstly that the nature of violent communication on the Internet is testimonial, even in violent events such as those analysed; secondly that the most serious forms are less representative than other forms of expression of bad taste or that impact social sensibility, and finally that hate speech has a relevant presence even if it does not represent the majority of the expressions tweeted during the event.