Trolling
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Neo-Nazis April Fools’ Day
When researching extremism, particularly online extremism, one needs to be conscious of many layers of depth. Peeling that onion takes time, effort and expertise. Experts are needed to raise the alarm when there is an emerging threat, but also not to play into the hands of neo-Nazis when they engage in attention-seeking publicity stunts.
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Trolling: the Modern-Day Coliseum
Aren’t you told you deserve to be urinated on and sexually abused every morning with your double-shot latte? If feminist writers such as Jezebel’s Lindy West are to be believed, trolling has become a “common part” of journalism practice and a frequently overlooked workplace issue. Trolling has cemented itself as an integral part of the…
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Political Trolling and Suicide Incitement on Twitter
As part of our August 2020 campaign of countering online trolling, this briefing provides supplementary examples of appalling hate speech, misogyny and suicide incitement used to troll public political figures and private individuals. The briefing also explores two prominent female American political figures on opposite sides of the political spectrum, and the frequent misogynistic and…
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Unmasking Serious Trolling on Twitter
The act of serious trolling online continues to be a pervasive and inglorious form of harassment, bullying, and intimidation. Whether targeting celebrities, organizations, or other individuals, serious trolling seeks to provoke anger and outrage among social media users, with the ultimate goal of causing individual harm. In this briefing, OHPI seeks to shed light on…
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Campaign to Counter Online Trolling
Throughout August 2020, the Online Hate Prevention Institute (OHPI) will be running a campaign to counter Online Trolling. OHPI stands against any Trolling expressed online: through the use of social media, discussion platforms or on commentary sections of online media. Since 2013, OHPI has produced a number of briefings and commentary on countering Serious Trolling. Join…
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None so blind
An English proverb says “There are none so blind as those who will not see. The most deluded people are those who choose to ignore what they already know”. This proverb is documented as far back as 1546 in John Heywood’s “Dialogue of Proverbs II” as, in old English, “Who is so deafe, or so…
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Face-to-face with “predator trolls” who “weren’t born that way” – with cyberhate expert and author Ginger Gorman
by Carly McClen, images by Hilary Wardhaugh. “Absolute freedom of speech online leads to places like 8Chan which played a significant role in radicalising Brenton Tarrant, in turn leading to the tragic events that unfolded in New Zealand. Without controls, an online space can spiral out of control creating a toxic culture that feeds on…
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Everything in moderation
Today we received a fair about of media attention due to our work on racism and the far-right. It started with an article in today’s Age. Just after 8am we were interviewed on talk-back radio at 3AW Breakfast. In the afternoon it was 7:30 from the ABC recording an interview which aired later that evening.…
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Investigating a troll
It started with a comment on the Online Hate Prevention Institute’s Facebook page “Be wary of donating, this is not a registered charity and is probably a scammer.” That comment is not only untrue, it’s possibly unlawful under libel laws. It leaves people who aren’t already familiar with the charity with a doubt, placing a…
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Who thinks we’re a waste of time and money?
One of the problem with social media is that it lacks context. In a recent briefing we discussed the problem of racist trolls who go out of their way to hate against those working to tackling online hate. The briefing was limited to examining a few recent comments on our own Facebook page and the…