The internet is arguably the best invention since the wheel. It allows us to connect with other people and share our ideas. Many people have harnessed this ability and shaped it into various online communities.

However, in the words of the late Ben Parker: “With great power comes great responsibility.” While these communities are often used for good purposes – advocacy, education, or even plain and simple entertainment – the power granted by the internet is very easily used to promote hateful ideology, whether intentionally or not.

Hate possesses an expansive definition that does not really say much on its own. Is hate giving a kid a wedgie? Is it verbally or physically harassing someone? Is it excluding someone? Is it directed at an individual or a group? For the purpose of this article, this is my definition of hate: targeted discriminatory and spiteful physical actions or verbal remarks committed to harm or shame the recipient.

Hatred and discrimination do not manifest themselves in the same way as they have in the past. As a society, we have grown more socially progressive over the years. This does not mean that hate has been eradicated. Hatred – including those who weaponize it – is a parasite on the human psyche. No matter how small, it will always be there, fattening itself on the hurt of its host. It has evolved to be smaller, but more diverse in the ways it can spread. Worse even – like a host unknowingly feeding its parasite – people often do not know when or how they contribute to hate.

Hatred on social media propagates largely through smaller posts or comments that appear to be jokes. It’s small things: calling someone “acoustic” (autistic), making a seemingly harmless racist or homophobic joke, body shaming someone, etc. As people scroll more on social media and see more of this type of content, hate becomes normalized, and when it is normalized, the parasite ingrains itself in peoples’ lifestyles. 

Hate doesn’t form on its own, it is created purposefully. Throughout history, hate has been weaponized, to the benefit of the bully and at the cost of the recipient. Who benefits from the spread of hatred today? The social media influencers who gain recognition, power, and money from its growth benefit, but these are superficial benefits. There are others whose benefits are more substantial: political leaders, business executives, and unfortunately, even some religious leaders. Division and hate create anger, and certain people can easily manipulate this division to gain support and further their goals.

Often I see normalized hate manifest in small jokes, but I have also seen and heard outright and blatant hate towards certain individuals. Hatred towards gender non-conforming people, neurodivergent people, and gay people runs rampant. I don’t think a lot of hate comes from a place of direct malice, but rather from unawareness, a blindness caused by the parasite of hate. 

Hate is predominantly caused by the ignorance of those doing these actions. Many do not interact with the aforementioned groups. This makes it easier to dehumanize them and make them the butt of jokes. The solution to this problem is simple – expose yourself to more people who are different to you and your beliefs. Challenge the hatred that you are fed on a daily basis, because who is it helping?