7 ms·
The majority of online hate speech (of any variety) is driven by groupthink. If you make it harder to find the hate groups, you de facto reduce the groupthink.
by jonwachob91 7y ago
The majority of online hate speech (of any variety) is driven by groupthink. If you make it harder to find the hate groups, you de facto reduce the groupthink.
- pmarreck 7y agoSo you would prefer edgy platforms to move from open cleartext forums where they can be argued against and monitored, to private encrypted forums only populated by the choir, as it were? This will not end well.
- rmah 7y agoI think that is a good end. The definition of ending well. Such forums are, by definition, smaller and have less reach. Moreover, it is clear that members of such forums are supporters of the nastiness the forum espouses.
- slothtrop 7y agoI'm not sure they have less reach. Most people have heard of the chans and stormfront from notoriety. And for one, I seriously doubt an individual comes into white nationalism through mainstream channels like reddit. What this ultimately accomplishes is that the public gets to be blissfully ignorant about the blemishes, but these people are operating in the same capacity as before without brushing up to challenges as much
- Operyl 7y agoMeh, I know of at least 3 ex-friends that came across enough content on Reddit to “push them over the edge.” I.e. they literally “credited” Reddit for their “enlightenment.”
- slothtrop 7y agoThat's not the kind of content you just stumble upon. If they sought that out they'd just as well have sought out other forums, so I find it moot that they happen to find racist content they found agreeable on reddit that further radicalized them. It's like the incels, they're just looking for a circle jerk. The reason I feels strongly about it is open discussion with racists have led to conversion away from white supremacy that would not have otherwise occurred e.g. Davis - https://www.npr.org/2017/08/20/544861933/how-one-man-convinced-200-ku-klux-klan-members-to-give-up-their-robes https://www.npr.org/2017/08/20/544861933/how-one-man-convinc... The fear of power of racists operating on a platform like reddit is overblown by virtue that racists seem stronger without it; strongest with echo chambers.
- Operyl 7y agoIt very much is. All it can take is a single comment by someone on a popular sub to have someone click their profile to read more, stumbling upon more of the same affirming content.
- slothtrop 7y agoIn that instance the content is being deliberately sought out. What's to prevent them from searching online for more reclusive forums like stormfront? Absolutely nothing. EDIT: since I can't reply to you, yes, by definition, it's seeking it out.
- Operyl 7y agoSeeing a supremest message in a comment, and clicking their name, is seeking it out? Jesus then, we’re screwed.
- plorkyeran 7y agoIt is very, very easy to just stumble upon stormfrontesque content on reddit. Reddit tries to keep it off the default frontpage and /r/all these days but they're not entirely successful, and it's not unheard of for the comments on a picture of a cute bunny to turn into a conversation about how people of some race are responsible for all of the problems in the world.
- crowbahr 7y agoThe way to kill terrorist groups is to win the hearts and minds of the general populace and then crush the platforms they use for recruitment. Like terrorism, so hate.
- faissaloo 7y agoYes, because it divides the communities and smaller communities are easier to extinguish, like cancer cells.