Navigating Online Hate: Experiences of Indian International Students at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia, Canada 

“Navigating Online Hate: Experiences of Indian International Students at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia, Canada” an Honours Thesis completed in the Criminology program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), examines how online hate shapes the everyday experiences of Indian international students living and studying in British Columbia. Indian students represent 41% of the international student population in Canada and contribute over $30 billion annually to the national economy. At the same time, they face xenophobia, racial stereotyping, and digital hostility across platforms such as Instagram, Reddit, and TikTok.

Drawing on Critical Race Theory and intersectionality, the study situates online hate within broader social and historical structures, including Canada’s colonial history, as well as within contemporary algorithmic systems that can amplify harmful content. Hate crimes targeting South Asians in Canada rose 143% between 2019 and 2022, and the online environment reflects this trend. Students described encountering calls to “deport” them, videos presented without context that portray them as threats, and comment sections that reduce their presence to stereotypes related to housing, employment, and cultural difference.

The research was conducted through semi-structured qualitative interviews with ten Indian international students at KPU between February and March 2025. Participants were between 18 and 25 years old, had been in Canada for no more than two years, and were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. Thematic analysis of the interview data produced three main findings.

First, students encountered online hate that was pervasive, repetitive, and often reinforced through platform algorithms, appearing unprompted in their feeds and contributing to the normalization of anti-immigrant sentiment. Some participants reported adjusting how they dressed, spoke, and moved through public spaces as a result. Second, the effects of this exposure extended into academic and social life, including self-censorship in classrooms, difficulty forming friendships with Canadian peers, and disillusionment with Canada’s multicultural identity. Third, participants also described forms of resilience and collective awareness, including sharing harmful content with peers, supporting one another, and calling for improved institutional responses, representation, and support services.

This thesis addresses a gap in existing literature, which often treats international students as a homogenous group and has not focused specifically on the experiences of Indian students in the Canadian context. By centering student perspectives and situating their experiences within broader systems of race and power, the research highlights the need for more responsive institutional approaches and policies to better support this population.

Here is a link to the full text of the thesis.