Digital influencers have grown in importance in recent years. They are key to spreading charity campaigns and to fighting hate speech.

Digital influencers are people, characters or groups who have gained great popularity on social media. These influencers create a huge variety of content that ends up generating a number of fans who follow their activities with great interest and eventually share them with others.

Many digital influencers are playing an extremely important role at this difficult time because of the COVID-19 pandemic, promoting and creating solidarity campaigns to help those most in need, creating a contagious, positive wave that is reaching more and more people. The examples keep multiplying, which shows that social media can and should be used to contribute to a better society, one more capable of developing bonds of mutual support.

One of the fastest-growing phenomena in Portugal today is hate speech on social media, which includes all forms of expression that promote racial hatred, xenophobia, homophobia, antisemitism and other forms of hatred based on intolerance, something that needs to be tackled quickly.

Digital influencers are very important in combating this phenomenon, and some are already doing so in a very positive way, raising awareness and promoting debates to discuss the subject with their followers. Since they are often victims of hate speech themselves, they should draw attention to these issues, which are increasingly frequent in digital media.

Hate speech claims more and more victims, who are often hiding for fear of asking for help, and this is where digital influencers have a fundamental role in encouraging these victims to ask for help and support.

I want to highlight the positive work that many Portuguese influencers are doing at this time in Portugal, contributing to a better society, creating and promoting solidarity campaigns and helping to combat hate speech.