"This companion brings together various concepts used to analyse dimensions of media disinformation and populism. The companion is theoretically and methodologically comprehensive and features various historical and critical approaches providing a full and incisive understanding of media, misinforma
...
tion and populism. It is both interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary consisting of contributions from scholars analysing aspects of misinformation, disinformation and populism across countries, political systems and media systems. A global, comparative approach to the study of misinformation and populism is important in identifying common elements and particular characteristics, and these individual essays cover a wide range of topics and themes, with contributions from both leading and young scholars. The distinctiveness of the companion is its encompassing of a variety of subject areas: Political Communication, Journalism, Law, Sociology, Cultural studies, International Politics, and International Relations." (Publisher description)
more
"Rechtsextremistisch, antisemitisch oder rassistisch motivierten Anschlägen fielen seit 2019 in Neuseeland, den USA, Norwegen und Deutschland 86 Menschen zu Opfer. Die Täter verbindet nicht nur ihr Hass, sondern ebenso ihre Radikalisierung im Internet. Sie alle fanden zuvor in einschlägigen Foren
...
Gleichgesinnte und Ansporn, ideologische Substrate für ihr Weltbild, aber auch Anleitungen zur Herstellung von Waffen. Bei dem Anschlag auf die Synagoge in Halle hatte sich der Attentäter für eine Online-Übertragung der Tat ausgerüstet – sie öffentlich sichtbar zu machen gehört, so der Tenor des Buches, zum Kalkül eines speziellen, ausschließlich männlichen Tätertypus. Im realen Leben sei er (selbst)isoliert, aber virtuell und global bestens vernetzt. In Anlehnung an die Strategien, die Codes und Ziele einschlägiger Computerspiele inszeniere er den Terror und biete ihn einem gleichgesinnten internationalen Publikum dar. Das Weltbild dieser Täter sei antisemitisch, rassistisch und misogyn, zugleich vielfach von Selbstmitleid, gekränkter Männlichkeit und Selbsthass bestimmt – das Ventil, mit diesen Affekten fertig zu werden, finden sie in imaginierten oder auch realisierten Gewalttaten. Die Autorinnen und Autoren beleuchten Motive, Sozialisation und Selbstinszenierung der Täter und fragen, welche Verbindungen zwischen der virtuellen Radikalisierung und den realen Gewalttaten von Rechtsterroristen bestehen. Ein eigenes Kapitel befasst sich zudem mit der Rechtslage gegen Hass im Internet." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
more
"This book, the first to specifically focus on disability hate speech, explains what disability hate speech is, why it is important, what laws regulate it (both online and in person) and how it is different from other forms of hate. Unfortunately, disability is often ignored or overlooked in academi
...
c, legal, political, and cultural analyses of the broader problem of hate speech. Its unique personal, ideological, economic, political and legal dimensions have not been recognized - until now. Disability hate speech is an everyday experience for many people, leaving terrible psycho-emotional scars. This book includes personal testimonies from victims discussing the personal impact of disability hate speech, explaining in detail how such hatred affects them. It also presents legal, historical, psychological, and cultural analyses, including the results of the first surveys and in-depth interviews ever conducted on this topic in some countries." (Publisher description)
more
"In Chapter 1, the international and European legal frameworks are outlined with a focus on the existing definitions of hate speech and current freedom of expression safeguards, the challenges posed by online hate speech, the role of IT companies in addressing these issues, and possible ways to resp
...
ond to it. In Chapter 2, strategies to counter hate speech are explored and guidance on how to plan, design and run an online campaign is provided, with a section focusing on safety measures to ensure personal security and wellbeing. Chapter 3 of the toolkit provides information and tips concerning the organization and development of a training event, covering various aspects from logistics to evaluation. Chapter 4 includes references to useful resources as well as tools developed by the Minority Rights Group Europe (MRGE) that offer a starting point for developing an online campaign or delivering a training session on countering hate speech online." (Introduction)
more
"Various terms are in use to describe violent, bullying, demeaning, or otherwise antagonistic expressions on social media platforms. Hate speech is common, but also not limited to the online world. While it does signal that these expressions are speech acts, and therefore, as we maintain, performati
...
ve, the reference to ‘hate’ does not always seem justified. While many different motivations and affects can be involved, and hatred on the part of the sender is surely one of them, other motivations exist too (as considered for instance in chapters two, three and seven). The term is thus both too broad and too narrow in its seeming attribution of motives. Feminist scholar Emma Jane has introduced the term ‘e-bile’, which is useful, but particularly designed for the specific category of misogynist and objectifying comments addressed to women online. We propose online vitriol as a term to think about this phenomenon, because it stresses both the violent and the uncontrollable aspects of the phenomenon and its typical excesses, such as shitstorms, and speech acts that silence, threaten, or harm others [...] Online vitriol seems to be a particular product of the Web 2.0, the ‘participatory’ or ‘social web’ that has evolved since the early twenty-first century, and that revolves around ‘user-generated content’ and conceives of the web as a space of interaction, rather than a collection of static sites where one can read information. The term ‘Web 2.0’ was coined in 1999 by Darcy DiNucci in an article prophetically titled ‘Fragmented Future’. Fragmentation does indeed seem to be one of the key aims and effects of online vitriol enabled by the interactive structure of social media platforms. In recent years particularly, online vitriol has come to serve political powerplay, with actors often operating from a stance of victimhood and supposed powerlessness, while at the same time attracting considerable attention, visibility and influence." (Pages 13-14)
more
"Concerns surrounding the threats that digital platforms pose to the functioning of Western liberal democracies have grown since the 2016 U.S. election. Yet despite a preponderance of academic work in this area, the precise nature of these threats, empirical solutions for their redress, and their re
...
lationship to the wider digital political economy remain undertheorized. This article addresses these gaps with a semisystematic literature review that identifies and defines four prominent threats—fake news, filter bubbles/echo chambers, online hate speech, and surveillance—and constructs a typology of “workable solutions” for combating these threats that highlights the tendency to silo technical, regulatory, or culturally embedded approaches." (Abstract)
more
"The aim of this paper is to investigate the phenomena of misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation, as well as their impact on the political sphere. In addition, the paper attempts to explain the harmful influence of misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation on public debates, dem
...
ocratic processes, and civil society engagement." (Introduction)
more
"[...] la presente investigación tiene como objeto cuatro naciones de América Latina: Argentina, Brasil, Costa Rica y Panamá. Se analiza de qué manera cada uno de los países seleccionados caracteriza al discurso de odio y cómo lo enfrenta. Este abordaje se realizó desde una perspectiva legal
...
y social. La primera tuvo como fin determinar cuál es la concepción de discurso de odio que posee el ordenamiento jurídico de la región. La segunda buscó reflejar el modo en que grupos habitualmente afectados por expresiones en la red viven dichos ataques y cómo los conciben a la luz de lo establecido por el ordenamiento jurídico." (Resumen ejecutivo)
more
"To successfully monitor and counter hate speech, we must first identify specific terms and define the social and political context that makes them offensive, inflammatory, and potentially dangerous. To that end, PeaceTech Lab has pioneered a process to identify and contextualize inflammatory langua
...
ge that can lead to violence, and has a growing portfolio of hate speech lexicons that can be used by civil society organizations, social media and technology companies, and other interested individuals and organizations to better identify, track, combat, and remove hate speech. The Lab is partnering with a growing network of local organizations that work to address hateful content and that seek to curb the potential for violence. This lexicon investigates the landscape of hate speech and narratives in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since 2018 there has been an uptick in violence in the country, with over 140 armed groups and militias (based in the DRC as well as in neighbouring countries) currently active in the DRC. There are more than 5 million people living in the country who are either internally displaced or who are refugees from neighbouring countries. Most recently, in the wake of the long-delayed December 2018 presidential election, tensions have increased between contenders and their followers, exacerbating old and new conflicts between ethnic communities and/or political groups. In this complex and multilayered context, hate speech in the DRC, as in other contexts, is used as a tool to achieve political and material ends (e.g., polarizing opinions, dehumanizing opponents in local or regional conflicts, exacerbating feelings of frustration and grievance, and calling for violent action). A steady increase in internet penetration as well as growth in the number of social media users are expected to increase the frequency of hate speech across all online platforms. This lexicon aims to serve as an initial guide to specific words and phrases identified during a finite period of time in the DRC." (Introduction)
more
"PeaceTech Lab, in partnership with Andariya and the Sudan Development Initiative (SUDIA), intends this effort to contribute to understanding language and the context for potential conflict during the transition to civilian government and to eventual elections in Sudan. This project seeks to tackle
...
the problem of identifying and contextualizing the particular type of language that’s likely to cause violence. Rather than assessing the existence or prevalence of hateful speech, this project instead examines the terms, their origins and context, and their use in a particular country context. To successfully monitor and counter hateful speech, we must first identify specific terms and the social and political context that makes them offensive, inflammatory, or even potentially dangerous. This research also seeks to identify alternative language that would mitigate or counter the impact of this speech and thereby contribute to building peace in the country. Finally, this resource intends to inform other individuals and organizations involved in monitoring and countering hateful speech in Sudan so that their work can be more effective." (Introduction)
more
"[...] the purpose of this paper is to highlight the main models and elements that media in Albania manifest regarding hate speech, propaganda and disinformation. The research focuses mainly on online media, as they are identified as the main carriers of disinformation and hate speech, with a few ex
...
ceptions, but traditional media are also present. The analysis is based on previous research studies, interviews with experts, and public statements and case studies, but mostly on the direct monitoring of models that are identified as manifesting problematic elements in the framework of this research. The content monitoring was carried out in the period June–August 2020, and focused on several media outlets and social media networks, mainly on particular narratives and case studies. The paper does not intend in any way to single out particular media, programmes or individuals, but rather to provide an overview of the main tendencies regarding hate speech, propaganda and disinformation in Albanian media, and also identify ways of countering these narratives." (Introduction)
more
"This edited collection provides a timely review of the current state of hate speech research in Asia and Europe, through the comparative examples of Korea, Japan and France.Extending the study of hate speech studies beyond the largely western emphasis on European and US contexts dominant in the fie
...
ld, this book's comparative framework aims to examine hate speech as a global phenomenon spanning Asian and European contexts. An innovative range of nuanced empirical case studies explore hate speech by analyzing gendered hate speech and nationality, French cartoon humour, official counter radicalization narratives and the use of international law to inform domestic legislation in the Philippines and Japan. A fresh perspective on Asian and European hate speech, this book's evaluation of current of hate speech research also identifies future directions for the development of theory and method.Filling a critical gap in the literature, Hate Speech in Asia and Europe will appeal to students and scholars of law, politics, religion, history, social policy and social science more broadly, as well as Asian Studies." (Publisher description)
more
"Social media platforms have become powerful tools to amplify and share narratives. Like many evolving technologies, platforms such as Twitter or Facebook may be used for social good or for ill. Digital vigilantism (whereby social media platforms are used for organised shaming, hounding or doxing of
...
a target deemed by the online community to have transgressed norms) may have real-world consequences. In extreme cases this may result in acts of ‘terrorism’ or other forms of unlawful killing. Yet while digital vigilantism may appropriate traditional law enforcement mechanisms, in some cases it may also try to hold law enforcement to account. Key points: Digital vigilantism, including using video material, is found in Kenya and South Africa, with doxing and hounding observed in conversations about foreigners in South Africa and police brutality in Kenya; in Kenya, digital vigilantism seeks to hold traditional law enforcement mechanisms to account through acts of shaming, usually without usurping their powers; in South Africa, digital vigilantism did at times seems to seek to usurp traditional law enforcement; in both countries, engagement and promotion of new ideas was minimal; key influencers leverage existing networks to amplify their messages, including by using video material – some of it fake – to extend their reach." (Summary)
more
"Die unterschiedlichen Quellen des Judenhasses finden mit den medialen Möglichkeiten des 21. Jahrhunderts einen nie gekannten Resonanzboden, der Anonymität wahrt und Reichweite ermöglicht. Latente und virulente antisemitische Stereotype werden mit aktuellen Bezügen aufgeladen und verstärkt. Mon
...
ika Schwarz-Friesels auf breiter Datenbasis erstellte Studie zeigt das wachsende Ausmaß der teils abgrundtief hasserfüllten antisemitischen Kommunikation im digitalen Zeitalter und analysiert Formen ihrer sprachlich-medialen Verbreitung. Sie fordert angesichts eines letztlich faktenresistenten antisemitischen Vorurteilssystems eine engagierte Aufklärung über die kulturhistorischen und alltagskulturellen Zusammenhänge des Judenhasses und eine Gesellschaft, die sich dem tradierten und instrumentalisierten Antisemitismus entschlossen entgegenstellt." (Klappentext)
more
"This paper attempts to understand the phenomenon of hate speech and its potential to legitimise discrimination and promote violence against its targets. It lays out the interconnections between Islamophobia, hate speech and acts of physical violence against Muslims. The role of social media, especi
...
ally messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook, in facilitating the easy and rapid spread of fake news and rumours and amplifying hate, is also examined. The complexities of regulating social media platforms, which have immense political and corporate backing, have been touched upon. This paper also looks at the contentious and contradictory interplay of hate speech with the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech and expression and recent jurisprudence on these matters. Finally, it presents some examples of the pushback of hate speech and outlines concerns that must be addressed to counter the spread of hatred." (Introduction)
more