This stunning interactive map tracks homophobic and racist hate speech on Twitter

[w1z4rd]

http://users.humboldt.edu/mstephens/hate/hate_map.html#

The most hateful tweeters in the United States tend to live in the eastern half of the country, according to a new map that pinpoints hate speech from Twitter across country.

The map, created by geography students at Humboldt State University in California, looks at more than 150,000 geocoded tweets (tweets that say where the user is located) between June 2012 and April 2013, sorting for those that contained a racist, homophobic or anti-disability word. The researchers then decided whether or not the tweet was using the word in a hateful way.

According to our analysis: A majority of hateful tweets are coming from smaller towns and more rural areas. For example, some of the biggest spots for homophobic tweets are along the border of Oklahoma and Texas, and one of the biggest hubs of racist tweets is in a seemingly empty area of western Indiana. There are a lot more racist tweets coming out of an area in the middle of North Dakota than in the larger city of Fargo, for example. Homophobic tweets have a wider spread across the nation than racist ones, which are coming from the southeastern portion of the country more than anywhere else.

The project is a follow-up to a similar study that mapped racial slurs on Twitter in reaction to President Obama's reelection in 2012. The students used The DOLLY Project (Digital OnLine Life and You), a huge archive of geolocated tweets, to collect data in both cases. This data can be used to track all kinds of tweets. There is also a map of where the word "grits" is most often tweeted (spoiler alert: it's the south).

The interactive map lets you zoom as far as the county level on the map to pinpoint which counties across the U.S. wrote the most hateful tweets. You can look at all hateful tweets, tweets by category, or just at specific words. The map does not include sexist terms or terms that are offensive to the mentally disabled. Some of the terms shown are sort of outdated, which is most likely why some terms are less frequent than others.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/...eech_n_3265916.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009
No surprises really.

 

[Grant]

I would love to know what software was used to collect that data.

 

[Lycanthrope]

I would love to know what software was used to collect that data.

Probably similar software to: http://www.nohomophobes.com/#!/today/

It essentially tracks the number of tweets containing trigger words like, "faggot," "no homo," "dyke" and "so gay."

The system and the idea behind it, in my humble opinion, are both flawed. If you read through many of the tweets, they're almost all entirely harmless.

To argue that these are used as "hate" or "hate speech" is ludicrous.

If anything, it just shows frequency of use.

 

[Schavuit]

Funny that racist terms against white people are not counted. And I guess that a considerable ammount of the use of ****** is done by black people themselves.

 

[Garson007]

East coast more inhabited - NO WAY!

 

[ShaunSA]

Probably similar software to: http://www.nohomophobes.com/#!/today/

It essentially tracks the number of tweets containing trigger words like, "faggot," "no homo," "dyke" and "so gay."

The system and the idea behind it, in my humble opinion, are both flawed. If you read through many of the tweets, they're almost all entirely harmless.

To argue that these are used as "hate" or "hate speech" is ludicrous.

If anything, it just shows frequency of use.

They did check to see in what context the words were used Lycan.

 

[zippy]

I would expect most on mybb to rail against this app. Sadly SA is still a haven for racism and bigotry. Probably remain that way for sometime.

 

[Ninja'd]

Probably similar software to: http://www.nohomophobes.com/#!/today/

It essentially tracks the number of tweets containing trigger words like, "faggot," "no homo," "dyke" and "so gay."

The system and the idea behind it, in my humble opinion, are both flawed. If you read through many of the tweets, they're almost all entirely harmless.

To argue that these are used as "hate" or "hate speech" is ludicrous.

If anything, it just shows frequency of use.

I like to use "no homo".

 

[Fudzy]

I like to use "no homo".

Yeah, how are gym bunnies supposed to compliment each other's buttocks and biceps without fear of a shower fondle now?

 

[Lycanthrope]

They did check to see in what context the words were used Lycan.

They had students read through the tweets. You'll have to excuse me if I take the subjective interpretations of a group of students and that of their project head with a pinch of salt.

If I can't see and read the tweets for myself then I refuse to buy into the belief that the majority of those tweets were borne of hate. I'm sure many more required context.

Look at the site I linked to, read the tweets and see how many of those can be misinterpreted. Now tell me a group of students can sit down, read hundreds of tweets like those and decide what is or isn't legitimate hate-speech and what the person behind each tweet was thinking.

Yes, there is legitimate hate in the world. This project, however, is flawed and tries to crucify everyone, guilty or not.

 

[kingrob]

I would expect most on mybb to rail against this app. Sadly SA is still a haven for racism and bigotry. Probably remain that way for sometime.

I would not.

And if you see it as racist that I condone the crime and excessive corruption in South Africa, come back to South Africa and let's talk.

Otherwise, just stay in the UK and STFU.

 

[kingrob]

I would expect most on mybb to rail against this app. Sadly SA is still a haven for racism and bigotry. Probably remain that way for sometime.

I would not.

And if you see it as racist that I condone the crime and excessive corruption in South Africa, come back to South Africa and let's talk.

Otherwise, just stay in the UK and STFU.

 

[Fudzy]

I would expect most on mybb to rail against this app. Sadly SA is still a haven for racism and bigotry. Probably remain that way for sometime.

I think the app would work if we had more people on Twitter, if there was a way to trace racist Facebook posts, that would be better.

 

[b_crazy]

You know what would make this map really stunning? If it was live.

 

[Hosehead]

The West Coast looks wrong. Los Angeles cannot be so PC. Not for one minute, hell they had the Rodney King Riots,.

Idaho looks accurate some town was a hotbed base for white supremacy hate groups.

Nevada looks all wrong, so does NM - why is hate speech against the Mexicans confined to the bottom of the State where it's the Sticks... and Texas... and so does Florida with the massive Cuban and Venezulean populations in Miami - and no whiteys in the State sending a single tweet?

Whatever method the map is a whole lot of bunkum.

 

[Datura]

Ooooh. Nuclear targets.

 

[OrbitalDawn]

The West Coast looks wrong. Los Angeles cannot be so PC. Not for one minute, hell they had the Rodney King Riots,.

Idaho looks accurate some town was a hotbed base for white supremacy hate groups.

Nevada looks all wrong, so does NM - why is hate speech against the Mexicans confined to the bottom of the State where it's the Sticks... and Texas... and so does Florida with the massive Cuban and Venezulean populations in Miami - and no whiteys in the State sending a single tweet?

Whatever method the map is a whole lot of bunkum.

Not all the hillbillies are necessarily twittererrererss.

 

[w1z4rd]

Not all the hillbillies are necessarily twittererrererss.

This is true, most of them wont even be online!