Näthatet uppmärksammas idag som ett växande problem. Internets utbredning har gett upphov till att hat och hot yttras mer obegränsat. Syftet med föreliggande studie var att utforska kvinnliga journalisters utsatthet av näthat samt bidra med kunskap om behovet av potentiellt stöd. Deltagarna var tio väletablerade frilansande samt redaktionsanställda kvinnliga journalister. Datainsamlingen gjordes med fokuserade kvalitativa intervjuer. Tematisk analys användes som metod för dataanalys. Resultatet visade på näthat som ett djupt etablerat mångfacetterat fenomen. Utsattheten för näthat ansågs bidra bl.a. till stress, rädsla och påverkan på det allmänna välbefinnandet. Utsattheten kunde hanteras genom olika copingstrategier samt praktiska åtgärder. Journalisterna i studien visade på en djuplodande medvetenhet om hatfenomenet och vilja att förmedla sin kunskap om näthatet och dess konsekvenser. Vidare framhölls ett behov av stöd och ansvarstagande från arbetsgivare och rättsväsende. Resultatet i föreliggande studie är i linje med befintlig forskning om hat och hot på nätet. / Internet hate is today highlighted as a growing issue. The expansion of internet hate has given rise to a more unrestricted expression of hate and threats. The present study aimed to explore female journalists’ exposure of internet hate and to contribute with knowledge regarding the need of potential support. The participators consisted of ten well established freelance and editorial female journalists. The data was collected with focused qualitative interviews. Thematic analysis was used as method for the data analysis. The result showed internet hate as a deep established multifaceted phenomenon. The exposure of internet hate was among other things considered contribute to stress and fear, and to have an impact on the general well-being. The exposure could be handled with the use of various coping strategies and practical measures. The journalists in the present study showed a profound awareness regarding the phenomena of hate and willingness to mediate their knowledge about internet hate and its consequences. Furthermore, a need of support and responsibility from employers and the judicial system was emphasized. The result in the present study is in line with existing research about hate and threats online.

With online communication being increasingly integrated with our everyday lives, internet hate has become a growing problem. This is receiving growing attention in the media and research. In recent years, scientists have begun to shift their focus from the hate itself, to responses to these forms of violation. However, research has been mainly solution orientated and for example focused on legal aspects. Thus, we maintain that the field lacks a media technology based analysis, which this paper intends to contribute to. The aim of this study is to investigate what impact design and functionality in social media has on its users, with relation to user’s counter-strategies on the reception of offensive content. Note that this study is restricted to social media, and not focused on digital media at large. Within the framework of this essay, we have conducted three focus-group interviews and nethnographic studies. The empirical data from our focus groups has determined which social media platforms we examined in the nethnographic study, and subsequently in our analysis. The collected data has been analysed in relation to previous research on social media and internet hate. We have also used theories on resistance, suppression techniques, space of possible actions, norms and the relationship between offline/online and front stage/back stage. The analysis has resulted in five themes that describe the following key findings: 1) social media's positive connotations are problematic in relation to offensive content, but the receivers of internet hate are inventive in working around embedded norms, 2) sometimes no response is the best defence, 3) the culture around the like-function has a significant role in the resistance to internet hate on social media, 4) the shrinking distance between the world online and offline, as well as public and private rooms, affects everyday resistance to violations on social media, and 5) production of positive content and interaction with help of built-in functions are perceived as ways to affect the climate and cooperative resistance. We do not purport to provide technical or design-related proposals for development. However, we believe that our results, among other things, can be used for future development and improvement of social media platforms, and as a basis for further research on resistance to violations on social media.