This book explores the discrimination encountered and propagated by individuals in online environments. The editors develop the concept of 'online othering' as a tool through which to analyse and make sense of the myriad toxic and harmful behaviours which are being created through, or perpetuated via, the use of communication-technologies such as the internet, social media, and ‘the internet of things’. The book problematises the dichotomy assumed between real and virtual spaces by exploring the construction of online abuse, victims' experiences, resistance to online othering, and the policing of interpersonal cyber-crime. The relationship between various socio-political institutions and experiences of online hate speech are also explored. Online Othering explores the extent to which forms of information-technologies facilitate, exacerbate, and/or promote the enactment of traditional offline offences (such as domestic abuse and stalking). It focuses on the construction and perpetration of online abuse through examples such as the far-right, the alt-right and Men's Rights Activists. It also explores experiences of, and resistance to, online abuse via examples such as victims' experiences of revenge porn, online abuse and misogyny, transphobia, disability hate crime, and the ways in which online othering is intersectional. Finally, the collection addresses the role of the police and other agencies in terms of their interventions, and the regulation and governance of virtual space(s). Contributions to the volume come from fields including sociology; communication and media studies; psychology; criminology; political studies; information science and gender studies. Online Othering is one of the very first collections to explore a multitude of abuses and their relationship to information and communication technology.

The Web plays an increasingly important role in the communication strategies of political parties and movements, which increasingly utilize it for promoting ideas and ideologies as well as mobilization and campaigning strategies. This book explores the role of the Web for right-wing populist political parties and movements across Europe. Analyzing these groups’ discourses and practices of online communication, it shows how social media is used to spread ideas and mobilize supporters whilst also excluding constructed ‘others’ such as migrants, Muslims, women or LGBT persons. Expert contributors provide evidence of a shift in the strategies of mainstream parties as they also engage in ‘Internet populism’ and suggest ways that progressive movements can and do respond to counter these developments. Topics are explored using a cross-country analysis which does not neglect the particularities of the national contexts. This work will appeal to researchers and students working in the fields of media and communication studies, political theory, policy analysis, studies of populism, racism and nationalism, gender, LGBT, migration, Islam and welfare.

The ebook edition of this title is Open Access and freely available to read online This handbook features theoretical, empirical, policy and legal analysis of technology facilitated violence and abuse (TFVA) from over 40 multidisciplinary scholars, practitioners, advocates, survivors and technologists from 17 countries

The accruement of crises over the last two decades, with their particular manifestations in the European context, has evoked the feeling of living in exceptional times, as captured in the recurrent claim that we live in the "age of anxiety." The main aim of this collection is to analyse, from a multidisciplinary perspective, the causes and consequences of the current dominance of the discourse of fear, anxiety, and crisis through the experience of distinct and often interdependent moral panics in twenty-first-century Europe. With its multidisciplinary approach, this volume sheds light on the need to view the interrelationship between different crises and their associated affects as crucial in attaining a more nuanced understanding of the aetiology and effects of the current "age of anxiety." This multidisciplinary scrutiny of the interrelationship of twenty-first-century fears, anxiety and crises signals an original engagement with these complex phenomena in order to make their emergence and profound effects on contemporary society more comprehensible. The timeliness of the thematic focus and the rigorous in-depth analyses make this collection relevant to students and academics within the fields of sociology, literary and cultural studies, political science and anthropology, as well as to those in European studies and global studies.

Women’s existence in the digital world has been closely studied by scholars and attracted the attention of activists worldwide. Women, like men, early on saw the Internet as a potentially powerful and liberating tool that would help them find groups or communities with similar aims and interests. Today there is more awareness of the deleterious effects of unconstrained online speech such as online violence, ridicule, silencing, and threats against women. Women in the Digital World brings together the latest academic research on women online and includes chapters on political speech, gendered online violence, dealing with sexual assaults, marginalization of women politicians, and how women participate (or don’t) via online environments. The interdisciplinary research in this volume brings together communications studies, gender studies, sociology, politics, and computer science and is essential reading for those seeking to understand a growing field. The book should be of interest also for activists and NGOs who seek to deepen their knowledge on the place of females online. It was originally published as a special issue of the journal Information, Communication & Society.

This book, the first to specifically focus on disability hate speech, explains what disability hate speech is, why it is important, what laws regulate it (both online and in person) and how it is different from other forms of hate. Unfortunately, disability is often ignored or overlooked in academic, legal, political, and cultural analyses of the broader problem of hate speech. Its unique personal, ideological, economic, political and legal dimensions have not been recognized – until now. Disability hate speech is an everyday experience for many people, leaving terrible psycho-emotional scars. This book includes personal testimonies from victims discussing the personal impact of disability hate speech, explaining in detail how such hatred affects them. It also presents legal, historical, psychological, and cultural analyses, including the results of the first surveys and in-depth interviews ever conducted on this topic in some countries. This book makes a vital contribution to understanding disability hatred and prejudice, and will be of particular interest to those studying issues associated with hate speech, disability, psychology, law, and prejudice.

Digital space offers new avenues, opportunities, and platforms in the fight for gender equality, and for the social, economic, and political participation of women and marginalised communities. However, the very same space plays host to gender inequalities and security threats with gendered implications. This edited volume ventures into complexities at the intersection of gender, security, and digital space, with a particular focus on the persistent problems of access, harassment, and disinformation. Scholars and practitioners in this volume tackle various facets of the issue, presenting an array of research, experiences, and case studies that span the globe. This knowledge lends itself to potential policy considerations in tackling inequalities and threats with gendered implications in cyber space towards digital spaces that are safe and equal. This book is a must-read for students, scholars, and practitioners seeking to expand their knowledge on the gendered threats in digital space and potential remedies against them.

This informative Research Handbook brings together a unique combination of methodological, philosophical and theoretical perspectives to present a comprehensive overview of communication and prejudice research

This book examines contexts, practices, and activism on issues of gender violence at the intersections of online and public spaces. Through individual case studies, the volume considers the interplay between the virtual worlds of online spaces including social media, physical spaces and bodies, and the ways in which offline and online dimensions of experience can serve as motivators for, extensions of, or limitations to each other. Examining both problems and potential solutions, chapters explore the impacts of, and potential resistance to, the intersections of gender violence, social media, and our complex lived environments across national boundaries. Throughout the volume, close attention is paid to the difficult issues highlighted when prior conceptions of basic foundations such as public space, individual rights, and professional responsibility are confronted by new examples that further trouble the boundaries of long-held frameworks of legal, social, professional understanding, and even our comprehension of the "real." Each chapter grapples with a difficult reality related to gender violence, underscores possible ways forward, and highlights limitations, resisting easy answers to complex and persistent questions about rights, personal integrity, and social responsibility. Offering clear insights into a critical issue, this book will be of interest to scholars and students in the areas of media studies, social media, gender and women's studies, sociology and criminology, digital humanities, and politics.

This study takes the work of transforming violence and conflict online and offers insight into the practice of dialogue in virtual settings for peacebuilding purposes. In the field of peace and conflict studies and peacebuilding practices, a significant amount of literature has dealt with the theory and practice of dialogue in face-to-face settings. This project is unique as it takes the peacebuilding practice of dialogue and explores it within an online context. The research is framed and analyzed through the dialogue theories of Martin Buber and Paulo Freire. This project is distinct in its exploration of the connection between dialogue encounters and positive peace, the practical linkages of which are often difficult to articulate or identify. As such, this book offers unique contributions to the knowledge and understanding of dialogue-based peacebuilding in online settings and provides an understanding of how dialogue practices enable outcomes within the construct of positive peace. This book is aimed at academics as a presentation of research into a relatively unexplored field of inquiry. However, it is also relevant and applicable for peacebuilding practitioners who want to navigate taking their practices into online settings and provide a framework for linking practices to intended positive peace outcomes.