Cathy Buerger, Director of Research at the Dangerous Speech Project (DSP) will be talking about her study on the work of the Swedish group #jagärhär. The research focuses primarily on how the practice affects the group’s members and how they seem to be influencing discourse online.
The study asks and attempts to answer the following questions:
• What made people want to join such a group?
• Who are they trying to influence, and what strategies do they use?
• Does the group itself have an impact on members’ ability and willingness to respond to hateful and often hostile comments online?
Internet platforms have touted counterspeech as a possible answer to hatred and extremism. There is only limited empirical evidence of its success and even less research on the individuals who produce counterspeech and what they have learned from practicing their little-known craft. This study begins to fill that void.
We will be showing self-care best practices e.g. how to keep the energy, protect yourself against the effects of hate, how to recharge, and how to take care of yourself in a hostile environment.
Date and time of event:
Date(s) - 28/10/2020
9:00 PM - 10:00 PM