The Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia reported a spike in hate posts on social media coinciding with the arrival of thousands of migrants from Morocco to the Autonomous City of Ceuta.Credit: Abu Adem Muhammed/Anadolu/Getty Hate speech ' discourse that attacks a person or group on the basis of their inherent characteristics or identity ' is on the rise worldwide. It can be triggered by various events, from elections and migrant crises to this year's men's football World Cup. Posts that were hostile to people of South Asian origin in the United States rose by 240% on the social-media platform X between January 2024 and June this year. Hateful discourse can widen social divisions, instill 'us versus them' narratives and increase political polarization. Divisive rhetoric is also being exacerbated by content generated by artificial-intelligence models and bot accounts. Scientists are keen to understand these phenomena so that they can find the most effective ways to counter...
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