Where do I go now? Migrants' emotional responses to online racism and hate speech in Chile
Journal
Frontiers in Communication
ISSN
2297-900X
Date Issued
2026-05-29
Author(s)
Type
Article
Abstract
Introduction
This study examines migrants' exposure to online hate speech and its emotional impacts in Chile.
Methods
Using a convergent mixed-methods design, we combine a survey of 1,020 migrants with 22 semi-structured interviews conducted in 2023.
Results
Quantitative results show that Facebook and Instagram are the platforms where migrants most frequently encounter hostile content, particularly in comment sections of migration-related news. Hate speech is primarily perceived as targeting national origin, physical appearance, and cultural background, reflecting racialized and nationalist forms of discrimination that vary among migrant groups. Across the sample, anxiety, worry, and disappointment emerge as the predominant emotional responses to online hostility. A moderate positive correlation between exposure to hate speech and emotional distress is observed [
r
= .430, 95% CI (.25, .57),
p
< .001;
n
= 1,020], indicating that higher levels of exposure are associated with greater emotional intensity. Qualitative findings complement these results by illustrating how persistent online hostility amplifies feelings of uncertainty, exclusion, and anticipatory fear, and in some cases prompts reflections on future migration trajectories.
Discussion
Taken together, the findings highlight online hate speech as a cumulative emotional stressor embedded in migrants' everyday digital environments, with implications for well-being and social coexistence.
This study examines migrants' exposure to online hate speech and its emotional impacts in Chile.
Methods
Using a convergent mixed-methods design, we combine a survey of 1,020 migrants with 22 semi-structured interviews conducted in 2023.
Results
Quantitative results show that Facebook and Instagram are the platforms where migrants most frequently encounter hostile content, particularly in comment sections of migration-related news. Hate speech is primarily perceived as targeting national origin, physical appearance, and cultural background, reflecting racialized and nationalist forms of discrimination that vary among migrant groups. Across the sample, anxiety, worry, and disappointment emerge as the predominant emotional responses to online hostility. A moderate positive correlation between exposure to hate speech and emotional distress is observed [
r
= .430, 95% CI (.25, .57),
p
< .001;
n
= 1,020], indicating that higher levels of exposure are associated with greater emotional intensity. Qualitative findings complement these results by illustrating how persistent online hostility amplifies feelings of uncertainty, exclusion, and anticipatory fear, and in some cases prompts reflections on future migration trajectories.
Discussion
Taken together, the findings highlight online hate speech as a cumulative emotional stressor embedded in migrants' everyday digital environments, with implications for well-being and social coexistence.