Respetes

Respetes is a term used in Spanish-speaking contexts to describe a set of social practices, guidelines, and campaigns aimed at promoting respectful dialogue in both online and offline environments. The concept functions as a label for efforts to encourage listening, civil disagreement, and inclusive language, while discouraging harassment, hate speech, and misinformation.

Origin and usage: The term is derived from the Spanish verb respetar and has been used in digital civility campaigns in Latin America and Spain since the 2010s. It is commonly adopted by schools, non-governmental organizations, and online platforms to frame conduct codes and educational materials. In practice, respe tes appears in classroom guidelines, platform rules, moderation policies, and public awareness campaigns. The phrase is sometimes used as a call-and-response motto, and it may appear in hashtags such as #Respetes to signal engagement with respectful discourse.

Impact and criticism: Studies and reports on programs that promote respe tes indicate modest improvements in perceived civility and constructive engagement, though researchers caution that such initiatives can be perceived as performative or as limiting free expression if not implemented with clear safeguards for dissent and critical inquiry. Critics also emphasize the need to balance civility with robust debate and to avoid policing legitimate critique.

See also: digital civility, respectful discourse, online safety, media literacy.