Personalization of Conflict in Hate Speech against Religious Figures
Erik Setiawan, Maya Amalia Oesman Palapah, Riza Hernawati

Communication Science Faculty, Universitas Islam Bandung, Indonesia

Abstract

This study examines the phenomenon of personalized conflict in the expression of hate speech against religious figures on social media. Rather than focusing on the issue or argument itself, many online users direct their hostility at specific individuals, turning public discourse into personal attacks. This research aims to analyze how hate speech targeting religious influencers-such as Ustadz or Islamic public figures-is framed, expressed, and directed within digital conversations.
The study investigates ten prominent social media accounts that posted religious or moral-related content and triggered widespread public response. Using qualitative content analysis, hate speech was identified and categorized based on its themes (morality, tradition, religion), forms (direct insult, incitement, negative stereotyping), and targets (individual vs. group). Data were collected from Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok by documenting user comments related to each post. Findings reveal that moral values are the most dominant theme used to justify hate speech, followed by tradition and religion. The most frequent form is direct personal insult, which indicates a shift from discourse-based disagreement to character assault. Furthermore, most hate speech targets individual religious figures personally, rather than groups or communities, reflecting a high degree of personalization. This suggests that moral outrage in online spaces often escalates into symbolic punishment of individuals, reducing room for rational debate and amplifying emotional polarization.

Keywords: Personalization of conflict, hate speech, religious figure, moral discourse, digital communication, social media, public commentary

Topic: Media, Journalism, and Information