Conceptualizing Hate Speech: How The Internet Has Contributed To Antisemitism In The United States

Antisemitism has been prevalent from the pre-modern to the modern period. In our times, the wide-spread use of websites and social media has given people with antisemitic views a much larger stage to spread their hatred. Furthermore, the dark web allows hate groups to go underground on the Internet through encrypted data to spread their views. The growth of the Internet has given people a new forum to spread their hatred and bigotry away from the restriction of censorship laws, which do not exist in the United States due to the First Amendment of freedom of speech. The Internet also gives extremists the ability to connect with others who share their beliefs, allowing them to further spread their hatred. This platform is hard to police because of the volume of data that the Internet encompasses, thus leaving minority groups to be persecuted and targeted even further. This thesis tackles the topic of hatred against Jews and the internet by examining antisemitism online. A brief history of antisemitism is given first. Then online examples of antisemitism are discussed. Finally, the lack of hate speech laws is explained and possible solutions to stopping antisemitism on the Internet are discussed