“It’s Not Hate; It’s Common Sense”: Polycentric Normalization of Religious Hate in Spanish Digital Media

Abstract

This study explores how low-intensity religious hate becomes normalized on Spanish social media, shaped by multiple power centers (editorial policies, algorithms, and social norms), especially during major news events. An analysis of 53,787 comments on articles from 6 ideologically diverse outlets (March–April 2025) found 3.4% expressed religious hate, mainly anti-Muslim, followed by anti-Catholic and anti-Semitic discourse. Using multiple correspondence analyses and semantic clustering, significant links emerged among hate type, outlet ideology, and comment intensity. The results also revealed connections among geopolitical conflicts, migration crises, and peaks in hostility, showing how such dynamics normalize exclusionary narratives. The study calls for greater editorial transparency, event-sensitive moderation, and stronger cooperation between platforms and newsrooms to reduce algorithm-driven amplification of hate.