With hate speech on the rise, especially since the start of the pandemic, it has become clear that online hate is not without offline consequences. It has become a threat to our societies. Most of the toxicity originates from a small group of social media users who share their black-and-white worldviews with a passion, however their reach seems to be ever expanding into the offline world.
Read MoreSome might say that regulating speech online is an infringement on freedom of expression, however as social media gives users the opportunity to be heard by millions around the world, should this freedom also equal the freedom of reach? Wolf J. Schünemann is a German political scientist with a research focus on online communication and the governance of digitalisation. During an interview with him, he gave us a better understanding of how we can deal with these issues whilst still upholding the rights to free speech.
Read MoreAs Facebook has become too big to be seriously, and financially, hurt by the revelations, governmental legislation will be needed to regulate social media companies to curb online disinformation, hate speech, and preying on vulnerable groups, like teenagers with depression.
Read MoreWith disinformation on the rise around the world, there are many organisations that are working on providing answers and solutions to stopping it. One of the solutions discussed is policy change. We spoke to the EU DisinfoLab through an online call and a written interview, to better understand the current landscape and how policy change could contribute to preventing disinformation.
Read MoreIncels. A term that we are hearing more and more frequently. But what exactly are incels? The term is an abbriviation for ‘involuntary celibate’. People who identify as an incel are part of an online subculture, in which they define themselves as unable to find a romantic partner, despite their desire for one. They tend to be self-hating and believe they are subhuman, however they also feel an entitlement to sex that women are withholding from them.
Read MoreIn 2019, the World Health Organisation listed vaccine hesitancy as one of the top ten threats to global health, and now, researchers suggest that the anti-vaccine movement could undermine efforts to end this pandemic. As the holistic, wellness, ‘New Age’ yogis are taking the online world by storm, they have been cross-pollinating with the far-right QAnon supporters, and serving anti-vaxx conspiracy theories to the masses.
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