Abstract
The spread of hate speech in digital spaces such as social media platforms and comment sections on news websites remains a significant problem, contributing to the polarization of society and the normalization of hate. This PhD project takes a proactive approach towards countering this problem by developing a technological intervention to prevent online hate speech perpetration. The intervention will take the form of a digital game for adult internet users with the aim of educating them about factors that trigger posting hate speech online and helping them to challenge and overcome such harmful behavior.
The first stage of the project created a comprehensive overview of determinants for online hate perpetration. By using the Delphi method, insights from an interdisciplinary panel of experts from research and practice were collected. The findings on what constitutes the most relevant personal, social, and digital factors for online hate perpetration were synthesized in an ecological model. The model illustrates how the interplay of personal and environmental factors influences behaviors such as posting hate speech or making hateful comments. The study paid particular attention to the influence of features in the digital environment by working with the concept of digital affordances. In addition, digital strategies for risk mitigation were evaluated from a human-centered design perspective.
The second stage of the project focuses on moralization as a mechanism that might trigger online hate speech. In an online survey experiment, it will be explored whether moralizing cues in online discussions will impact the perception of hate speech and serve as a legitimizing factor for intolerant and uncivil comments. The research is based on theory of dyadic harm, which proposes depictions of harm as a central factor that changes personal preferences into moral matters. These may in turn provoke stronger emotional reactions among online users. The study will investigate the relation between moralization and hate speech in the context of discussions about gender diversity and inclusivity, a divisive topic that is both widely discussed but also incites misogynistic and queerphobic reactions in online spaces.
Using the insights obtained from the first two studies, the last stage of the project focuses on the development of the game intervention. By combining literature about game mechanisms as well as theories for behavior change, the game takes an educational approach and aims to exemplify to internet users how their behavior can be influenced by different opaque factors such as moralization and the interconnectedness of influences in online environments. The goal of the game is to help users understand these influences and learn how to proactively take control over their online behaviors and avoid undesirable and harmful actions online. A prototype of the game will be tested for user experience and efficacy.
With the development of the game, the research project aims to harness the potential of education and culture to inspire behaviors rather than restricting speech through direct intervention. This approach emerges from a consideration of how different human rights, such as the right to freedom of speech and the right to be free from discrimination, need to be balanced when dealing with the complex issue of online hate speech.
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