Gatekeepers of toxicity: Reconceptualizing Twitter's abuse and hate speech policies

Abstract

Twitter has become the platform of choice for journalists, politicians, and citizens because of the ways that it encourages expression, participation, and debate. In recent years, however, Twitter's “zeal for free speech” has turned the platform into a breeding ground for abuse, harassment, and hate speech. Through a discourse analysis of Twitter's policies, rules, and enforcement guidelines, this project asks (1) What role do Twitter's policies, rules, and terms of service play in instances where Twitter does not successfully address online abuse, hate speech, and harassment? and (2) What role does Twitter's technological architecture play in both propagating or preventing online hate speech and abuse? By invoking traditional and contemporary gatekeeping theories, theories of deterrence, and responsibilization, this paper will demonstrate that Twitter's policies perpetuate abuse and hateful conduct by splitting the gatekeeping role between the platform and its users. The study sheds light on the blind spots in Twitter's policies, such as their permissive free speech rhetoric and their nondeterrent enforcement options, to provide an empirical basis for how Twitter can detoxify user experience through revisions to the platform's policy framework.