The Digital Hydra. Why is it so hard to combat digital hate?

In recent years, digital hate - defined as any malicious expression performed by and directed against an individual or a collective online - has emerged as a pervasive and destructive force in the digital sphere. There is mounting evidence from around the globe that digital hate can create tremendous harm, by silencing others, fueling division between individuals and groups, leading to negative psychological effects, or even inciting real-world, violent action. The more difficult question, however, is, how digital hate can be stopped. In this talk, I will try to explain the reasons behind digital hate. Using data from several European countries, I aim to shed light on the perpetrators of digital hate, who they are, why they spread hate, and the psychological and social factors driving their behavior. Looking at regulation, content moderation, technology development and citizen competence, I will then discuss some common strategies to create safer digital spaces. But will the monster regrow two heads, for every head chopped off?

Jörg Matthes (PhD, University of Zurich) is Professor of Communication Science at the Department of Communication, University of Vienna, Austria, where he directs the Advertising and Media Psychology Research Group. His research focuses on digital media effects, advertising and consumer research, sustainability communication, children & media, terrorism and populism as well as empirical methods. He has published more than 200 journal articles and his research activities received awards and honors from the German Communication Association, the International Communication Association, the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the German Psychological Association, or the World Association for Public Opinion Research. In 2014, he received the Young Scholar Award by the International Communication Association honoring the most outstanding research career worldwide seven years past the PhD. Two years later, he received AEJMC's Hillier Krieghbaum Under 40 Award which honors scholars "under 40 years of age who have shown outstanding achievement and effort in all three AEJMC areas: teaching, research and public service". In 2019, he was honored with the UNIVIE Teaching Award and in 2021, he was elected as a Fellow of the International Communication Association. He was recipient of an Advanced Grant (2.5 Million Euros) by the European Research Council (ERC) in 2022. Currently, he is Editor-in-Chief of Communication Theory.

This is a hybrid event that will be held both on campus in RD Watt Seminar Room 203, as well as via Zoom.