Racism on social media in context: A literature review with a case study of the 2024 EU elections
Hegoa, Bilbao, 2025(TFM; 121. Máster en Globalización y Desarrollo)
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Racism has long been recognized as a profoundly harmful societal problem. While challenged for decades, it continues to adapt to social and political norms, often taking more subtle forms. The rise of social media has intensified its reach and impact. Online racism harms individuals and targeted groups while also threatening social cohesion, democratic processes, and fundamental rights across Europe.
The EU elections of June 2024 provide a critical case study. This period was marked by high political polarization, the success of far-right parties, intense debate on migration, and increasing reliance on social media: conditions that create fertile ground for racist discourse.
This thesis investigates online racism in Europe through a systematic literature review and a case study of the 2024 elections. Four key trends are identified: First, online racism escalates during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion in Ukraine, and the Hamas terrorist attack followed by the ongoing Israeli military actions and resulting humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Second, racist discourse intensified during the 2024 EU electoral period, particularly targeting refugees and migrants. Third, disinformation and AI-generated content played a growing role. Fourth, online racism contributed to the re-normalization of overt racism; demonstrating that it was never truly eliminated when it became legally unacceptable but merely transformed; while at the same time, overt racism online is contributing to its renewed normalization offline.
By situating online racism within its political and digital contexts, this thesis advances scholarly understanding of this important yet understudied phenomenon, and supports strategies for safer, more inclusive public spaces, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 10, 11, and 16.
1. Introduction
2. Methodology
3. Chapter 1. Theoretical framework: racism and social media
3.1. The conceptualization of racism
3.2. The impact of social media on society
3.3. Research methodologies to study racism on social media
4. Chapter 2. Results: Trends of racism on social media in the context of the 2024 EU elections
4.1. Context analysis: migration as a central issue in the 2024 EU elections
4.2. Trends of racism on social media
5. Conclusions, limitations and future research
6. Bibliography
