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Abstract Citizen-generated counter speech is a promising way to fight hate speech and promote peaceful, non-polarized discourse. However, there is a lack of large-scale longitudinal studies of its effectiveness for reducing hate speech. To this end, we perform an exploratory analysis of the effectiveness of counter speech using several different macro- and micro-level measures to analyze 180,000 political conversations that took place on German Twitter over four years. We report on the dynamic interactions of hate and counter speech over time and provide insights into whether, as in ‘classic’ bullying situations, organized efforts are more effective than independent individuals in steering online discourse. Taken together, our results build a multifaceted picture of the dynamics of hate and counter speech online. While we make no causal claims due to the complexity of discourse dynamics, our findings suggest that organized hate speech is associated with changes in public discourse and that counter speech—especially when organized—may help curb hateful rhetoric in online discourse.
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Restoring Healthy Online Discourse by Detecting and Reducing Controversy, Misinformation, and Toxicity Online
Healthy online discourse is becoming less and less accessible beneath the growing noise of controversy, mis- and dis-information, and toxic speech. While IR is crucial in detecting harmful speech, researchers must work across disciplines to develop interventions, and partner with industry to deploy them rapidly and effectively. In this position paper, we argue that both detecting online information disorders and deploying novel, real-world content moderation tools is crucial in promoting empathy in social networks, and maintaining free expression and discourse. We detail our insights in studying different social networks such as Parler and Reddit. Finally, we discuss the joys and challenges as a lab-grown startup working with both academia and other industrial partners in finding a path toward a better, more trustworthy online ecosystem.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1951091
- PAR ID:
- 10400541
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Restoring Healthy Online Discourse by Detecting and Reducing Controversy, Misinformation, and Toxicity Online
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 2627 to 2628
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Paper:
- https://doi.org/10.1145/3404835.3464926
