This project addresses this gap through new research-based and policy-relevant knowledge on group-focused enmities such as antisemitism, islamophobia and racism targeting different minority groups through online communication platforms. The project will analyse the dynamics of hate speech on social media and other digital platforms.
The research conducted in this project aims to establish new insights and methodological developments in the study of hate speech. The project has a comparative perspective. Focusing on South Africa, a view to other regions and ODA countries will highlight how online hate and extremist discourse have specific local manifestations as well as features shared across borders, including references to historical events and ideology.
Minority groups are the most common victims of extremist ideology and online hate. The overall aim of the project is to develop new and improved knowledge of the ways that hate speech on social media and other media platforms impacts conflict and violence against minorities on a global, regional and local level, specifically how hate and bigotry are transmitted online and have real-life consequences for minorities and how to combat such discourse.
The research process is threefold: First, the project will provide new knowledge about the characteristics of contemporary antisemitism and other forms of group-focused enmity, focusing on core narratives, memes and symbols used in online hate speech. Second, it will produce new methodological insights into quantitative data analysis, including how digital technology can be used to combat narratives of hate. Third, the project investigates how online hate narratives affect the lives of minorities in selected ODA countries, with a focus on South Africa.
Cooperating partners and networks
The Global Consortium on Bigotry and Hate is a broad network that brings together scholars and practitioners from across the globe to discuss local manifestations of and responses to bigotry and hate. The partners jointly work on research, education, outreach, and scholarship projects in Latin America, Europe, North America, East Asia and Africa, and provide a platform and network for research on antisemitism, xenophobia, racism and other forms of group-focused enmity.
The online hate speech project draws on an established network of researchers associated with the University of Cape Town. The international group of researchers include partners from the Global Consortium on Bigotry and Hate, practitioners from the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Center, Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center and other relevant institutions in ODA countries.
Main goals
Support and strengthen networks of researchers and practitioners that work on a multilateral level to develop and disseminate knowledge about forces currently driving hate and conflicts around the world.
Develop new and improved knowledge of the ways that hate speech on social media and other digital platforms impact conflict and violence against minorities on a global, regional and local level, with a focus on different forms of antisemitism and social and political movements in South Africa.
Refine methodologies for mapping the dynamics of online hate speech that can be attributed to different geographical contexts and situations.
Main results
- Research-based publications produced in collaboration with an international network of scholars.
- More sophisticated analysis methods through the development and improvement of hate speech filters
- Dissemination of findings through participants in the Global Consortium and their platforms.
- Widely accessible dissemination of results through podcasts and digital platforms.
- A strengthened network of experts in the field established through workshops, seminars and conferences.
- Increased competence among scholars and practitioners as well as actors at the international level to address the dynamics of online hate and the impact that this hate has on minorities.