People who do counterspeech almost universally want to reach audiences, not the people spreading harmful speech. Drawing on over 50 interviews with counterspeakers, this paper reports on four primary theories of change as counterspeakers describe them, and discusses the implications of this for researchers.
Read MoreEvery day, internet users encounter hateful and dangerous speech online, and some of them choose to respond directly in order to refute or undermine it. We call this counterspeech. Only a few studies have attempted to measure the effectiveness of counterspeech directly, and as far as we know, this is the first review of relevant literature.
Read More#jagärhär – “I am here” – is a Sweden-based group of thousands of volunteers working collectively to counter online hatred. This is first qualitative study of the group – how it works, why people join and stay engaged, and how its members try to shift thinking and discourse norms among the general public.
Read MoreWhen people cannot verify or refute rumors, and cannot access alternative narratives or trustworthy counterspeech, there is an increased likelihood that these rumors will become Dangerous Speech. Therefore, if governments are serious about addressing rumors that could inspire violence, they must resist the urge to shut down the internet.
Read MoreShould you respond directly to hatred online? And if so, how should you do it? These are just a few of the questions that staff at the Dangerous Speech Project (DSP) discussed with an audience at RightsCon last week. DSP staff were joined by Logan Smith, creator of @YesYoureRacist.
Read MoreThe DSP is proud to have hosted the First International Counterspeakers’ Workshop, a meeting of people who respond to hateful or harmful speech online – to trade ideas, war stories, and best practices. The event, held in late November in Berlin, drew 15 people from around the world who ‘counterspeak’ online in a wide variety of ways.
Read MoreInfluential leaders should not speak dangerously, of course – and it can be equally important for them to denounce the…
Read MoreA collaboration of #ICANHELP, iCanHelpline.org, the Dangerous Speech Project, HeartMob, and Project HEAR, this comic distills counterspeech tips into an accessible graphic that is great for students.
Read MoreA study of conversations on Twitter found that some arguments between strangers led to favorable change in discourse and even in attitudes. The authors propose that such exchanges can be usefully distinguished according to whether individuals or groups take part on each side, since the opportunity for a constructive exchange of views seems to vary accordingly.
Read MoreIn Charlottesville, Americans watched barriers to Dangerous Speech go down in broad daylight, in the middle of a city, as extremists waved swastikas and chanted hateful slogans. Some people are taking matters into their own hands, reaching out to masses of others to identify and punish marchers in the ‘Unite the Right’ rally, but online shaming often goes too far, reaching into a person’s offline life to inflict punishment
Read MoreIn this essay, Susan Benesch points out that content ‘takedown’ by Internet companies is not the only solution to harmful speech online. She highlights projects organized by civil society – not governments or platforms – to diminish harmful speech and support its targets. It was published by the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society in a collection of essays on harmful speech online.
Read MoreThis guide offers strategies and tools to prevent dangerous speech from influencing audiences, drawing from a range of disciplines—from political…
Read MoreThis guide offers recommendations for those who wish to engage in counterspeech online, based on the findings of our two year study of hateful speech and counterspeech on Twitter.
Read MoreThis report from our two year study of hateful speech and counterspeech on Twitter reviews existing literature on counterspeech, examines cases of counterspeech through the vector in which it was delivered, and develops a taxonomy of counterspeech strategies.
Read MoreIn this short report, the Media Diversity Institute offers advice on how to respond to hate speech on Twitter. Tips include: don’t be abusive, build a narrative, and think about your objectives.
Read MoreThis UNESCO report provides an overview of hate speech online and studies methods that have been used to counter and…
Read MoreSusan Benesch reviews efforts to counter hateful speech online in the Berkman Center for Internet and Society’s report Internet Monitor…
Read MoreThis informative Prezi was created by the artist Willow Brugh during a talk Susan Benesch gave called “Troll Wrastling for Beginners” at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society.
Read MoreThis Muslim Advocates report presents examples of the many kinds of anti-Muslim hatred found on the Internet.
Read MoreIn this video, Dangerous Speech Project director Susan Benesch discusses methods of countering Dangerous Speech in online social spaces and research that has been conducted to test those methods.
Read MoreUS Holocaust Memorial Museum, February 11, 2014
Read More