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Twitter used for online hate speech, bullying

February 18, 2013
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After a big MSU sporting event, some Spartan fans talk trash, but who do they turn to when their friends are sick of their ranting? For some, the answer is Twitter.

Twitter has become a place to post opinions and ideas online, with the added ability to target people using hashtags.

Derrick Nix, senior center, has had confrontations with hateful Twitter posts directed at him and the rest of the MSU men’s basketball team.

“It doesn’t matter if we win or if we lose, I always get hate tweets,” Nix said. “I’m not sure how I could even stop those, unless I just stopped playing basketball.”

Bullying has expanded from face-to-face confrontations to the world behind the computer screen.

According to a study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, there are approximately 15,000 bullying tweets posted daily.

Kayla Hales, assistant professor in the Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media, said the Internet provides a safe haven for people to make negative comments about others without the danger of a physical confrontation.

“Generally, people feel comfortable saying negative things online because they don’t think they are in as much danger,” Hales said.

Biochemistry and molecular biology senior Mollie Pertuso said when scrolling through her Twitter feed, most of the tweets she sees are negative.

“(The tweets) range from professors to people they meet in class, on the streets or when they go out,” Pertuso said. “I even saw people hating on Derrick Nix after one of the basketball games.”

She said although she understands people should have the chance to voice their opinions, it shouldn’t be to the extreme of someone wanting to harm themselves after seeing the tweets directed toward them.

“If it’s really going to harm someone, they just shouldn’t post it,” Pertuso said.

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