The Effectiveness of Media Literacy in Confronting Hatred Speech in Libyan Society; A Field Study on a Sample of Facebook Users in Libya

Abstract

This study aims to explore the effectiveness of media literacy in countering hatred speech within Libyan society. The study follows a descriptive research design employing the media survey method as the primary framework for data collection and analysis. An electronic questionnaire was utilized as the main tool to gather data from a randomly selected sample of 150 users representing diverse social and educational backgrounds. The study’s findings revealed that the majority of respondents expressed a strong belief in the significant role of media literacy in spreading the hatred speech, particularly on Facebook. Furthermore, more than half of the participants reported having only partial knowledge of the concept of media literacy. Additionally, participants emphasized that one of the most effective approaches to limiting the proliferation of hate speech is the implementation of laws and regulations that criminalize all forms of hatred speech across media platforms.