{"id":34153,"date":"2022-05-13T05:54:32","date_gmt":"2022-05-13T05:54:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/glosario-digital\/hater"},"modified":"2026-09-19T22:07:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T22:07:14","slug":"hater","status":"publish","type":"encyclopedia","link":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/hater","title":{"rendered":"Hater"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"boxpad alignright wp-image-34114 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/2.jpg\" alt=\"Hater\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/2.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/2-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/> <strong>Definition:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A <strong>hater<\/strong> is a person or account that repeatedly expresses hostility, contempt or attacks towards an individual, organisation, product or community, particularly in digital spaces. The word derives from the English verb <em>hate<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A negative opinion does not by itself make its author a hater.<\/strong> The distinction lies in the pattern of behaviour: the message stops addressing a particular idea, decision or experience and instead repeatedly ridicules, disparages or pursues its target.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"indexed\">How hater behaviour appears<\/h2>\n<p>The behaviour can occur on a social network, an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/internet-forum\">internet forum<\/a>, a chat service, a blog or any space with public participation. <strong>The full set of messages, their context and their continuity need to be considered<\/strong>, rather than an isolated word or the use of a pseudonym.<\/p>\n<p>Common indicators include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Repeated hostility:<\/strong> The account posts disparaging remarks or mockery about the same target across several contributions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Personal attacks:<\/strong> It replaces discussion of facts or ideas with insults, humiliation or comments about personal characteristics.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Disregard for context:<\/strong> It repeats accusations or negative judgements after relevant clarification has been provided.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Amplification of rejection:<\/strong> It attempts to spread the disparagement through mentions, coordinated replies or messages across several spaces.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>These indicators describe observable conduct, not a personality or psychological motive.<\/strong> Anonymity, sarcasm or an unpopular opinion can occur in legitimate communication and is not enough to classify a person.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"indexed\">Differences from criticism and trolling<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Criticism addresses an action, idea, product or experience<\/strong> and may offer reasons, evidence or a request for a solution, even when its tone is firm. A specific negative review, for example, is not hater behaviour merely because it harms a brand&#8217;s image.<\/p>\n<p>An internet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/troll\">troll<\/a> intervenes mainly to provoke reactions, derail a conversation or generate conflict. <strong>A hater is characterised by persistent hostility towards a target<\/strong>; the two behaviours may overlap, but they are not equivalent.<\/p>\n<p>The term is not a substitute for more precise categories. Cyberbullying involves repeated digital aggression against a person; hate speech attacks people or groups on the basis of protected characteristics; and threats, disclosure of personal data or impersonation may constitute specific violations. <strong>Severity should be assessed from the conduct and harm, not from the informal label &#8220;hater&#8221;.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"indexed\">Haters and online reputation<\/h2>\n<p>People, brands and communities may receive hostile messages alongside legitimate criticism, questions and disagreement. <strong>Separating these situations prevents every negative conversation from being treated as a crisis<\/strong> and helps identify which responses require information, customer service, moderation or safety measures.<\/p>\n<p>A pattern of attacks may distort a conversation, intimidate other participants or affect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/online-reputation\">online reputation<\/a>. Its impact depends on the reach of the messages, the credibility of the accounts, the involvement of other users and whether any allegations can be substantiated. <strong>Responding to valid criticism and moderating a personal attack are different actions.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"indexed\">Moderation in digital communities<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Moderation relies on published rules and a proportionate response.<\/strong> The content, history, context and potential harm are reviewed before action is taken; an isolated disagreement does not receive the same treatment as harassment, a threat or the disclosure of private information.<\/p>\n<p>Depending on the conduct and the rules of the space, management may involve replying with verifiable information, issuing a warning, restricting participation, hiding or removing content, blocking an account or using the platform&#8217;s reporting systems. <strong>Preserving screenshots, links, dates and usernames helps document repeated patterns<\/strong> and escalate cases that affect safety.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/netiquette\">Netiquette<\/a> and community rules help distinguish disagreement, offensive content and abuse. <strong>Applying them consistently protects the conversation without silencing legitimate criticism<\/strong> simply because it is uncomfortable or negative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Definition: A hater is a person or account that repeatedly expresses hostility, contempt or attacks towards an individual, organisation, product or community, particularly in digital spaces. The word derives from the English verb hate. A negative opinion does not by itself make its author a hater. The distinction lies in the pattern of behaviour: the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"template":"","encyclopedia-tag":[1348],"class_list":["post-34153","encyclopedia","type-encyclopedia","status-publish","hentry","encyclopedia-tag-reputation-management"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia\/34153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/encyclopedia"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"encyclopedia-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia-tag?post=34153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}