Impact of Hate Speech on Building the Value of Pro-Social Activities. Perspective of Author and Social Media User

Theoretical background: The value of a given project (including those of a pro-social nature) is determined by a number of factors, not only those of a financial nature. Within the corporate social responsibility concept, ethics was indicated as one of the factors influencing the value of the project. Currently, one of the problems in the field of ethics is the widespread online hate speech, affecting also the effectiveness of the processes of building the value of pro-social activities that fit into the concept of social marketing. Hate speech has come to form a significant portion of online communication. Only in the first quarter of 2022, Facebook removed 15.1 million pieces of content with hate speech, constituting only a minor part of the problem. Purpose of the article: The authors have noted a research gap in the area of analysing the impact of hate speech on building the value of pro-social activities. The intention of the authors was to evaluate whether the analysis of the phenomenon in question will allow to verify whether there is a relationship between online hate speech and building the value of online pro-social activities. The following research question was formulated: Can online hate speech have an impact on building the value of pro-social activities? Research methods: The authors decided that the quality dimension of the conducted studies should have the form of an individual in-depth interview (the author’s perspective) and a focus group interview supplemented with projection techniques – connotation test, evaluation of emotions and level of controversy (the perspective of the user of social media). Main findings: Hate actions significantly impede the functioning of profile with pro social content which is meant to function as the so-called safe space, which may have an impact on building the value of the influencer’s pro-social activities. During the interview with the recipients of controversial social campaigns, the occurrence of contradictory emotions was confirmed. The paper may offer a basis for further deepened scientific studies in the area of building the value of pro-social activities and a guideline for authors of social activities. Further research in the discussed direction may indicate new modes of using the social media with the participation of influencers who are active in the pro-social area and who have a community of engaged followers.