Hate Speech on the Social Network X After the Second Presidential Debate in Ecuador 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22235/d.v40.4996Keywords:
political communication, hate speech, elections, social networks, violenceAbstract
This study examines the prevalence, typology, and temporal dynamics of user-generated hate speech on the social media platform X in the context of the second round of the presidential election in Ecuador. Python was used to process the corpus of posts, which were subsequently subclassified into categories of hate (threats, defamation, insults, and incivility). A rule-based approach with prioritized criteria and statistical thresholds was applied, and the daily evolution of interactions was analyzed using Wilson confidence intervals and bootstrap techniques. The findings indicate that hostility on X toward Daniel Noboa and Luisa González was responsive to specific events. Peaks in aggression were observed in early April, coinciding with the second debate, followed by a decline toward April 13, Election Day. Hate speech in the Ecuadorian digital sphere appears to be deployed strategically to morally delegitimize political alterity and has become consolidated as a systemic feature of the country’s political culture.
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