The project NoHate@WebStyria was initiated by Susanne Sackl-Sharif who lectures at FH JOANNEUM, and Gregor Fischer, who lectures at the Karl-Franzens-University. The execution, like the development, is based on a cooperation between the University of Applied Sciences, the University of Graz and the Anti-Discrimination Agency Styria. The project is led by the European Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy at the University of Graz. Members of the research institution analyse the content on a legal and political basis. The Web Literacy Lab team at FH JOANNEUM is responsible for developing, conducting and analysing surveys and data collection.
“Hate speech can cause those who are affected or fellow users posting less or stopping to post entirely. This can lead to the diversity of opinions being lost which would create a distorted image on a certain topic.” This is how a project employee explains the possible effects of hate speech on society. In particular, downplaying hate speech, a phenomenon now encountered almost daily on the Internet, is dangerous because it could lead to a permanent change in the way we communicate. “Just because we now see insulting or discriminating remarks very frequently on social media does not mean they are acceptable.”
