New flyer "Dare and intervene! Show civil courage!"
Shitstorms on social media, bullying in WhatsApp groups, and so-called YouTuber armies that defend their YouTube stars in the comment columns like a digital military. Hate battles and inflammatory tirades are the order of the day in the www today.
The brutalization of the discussion culture is reinforced by the fact that tendentious, populist comments and even insulting hate comments and headlines are clicked on far more frequently than "neutral" comments or neutral reporting. Hate is thus rewarded directly by the algorithm in the system of the digital attention machinery.
In the DIVSI study, two-thirds of 14- to 24-year-olds said that those who express themselves in digital spaces should expect to be insulted or insulted. For around 38 percent, this perceived "insult culture" is a reason not to express their own opinion online. According to the results of the research project Zivilcourage 2.0, young people consider civil courage online to be unhelpful, but at the same time it is not considered to require much effort.
Countering digital hate requires "digital moral courage". Students in particular need support and encouragement to stand up for others and not just watch. The flyer "Dare and intervene! Zeig Zivilcourage!" wants to sensitize young people to this and shows how help can be provided digitally. When and how can I intervene if a person is being bullied online? How do I report content? Who can I turn to if I have questions?
The flyer was adopted with the kind permission of Saferinternet.at and can be ordered free of charge from klicksafe.
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