
Description
This volume looks at the forms and functions of counterspeech as well as what determines its effectiveness and success from multidisciplinary perspectives. Counterspeech is in line with international human rights and freedom of speech, and it can be a much more powerful tool against dangerous and toxic speech than blocking and censorship.
In the face of online hate speech and disinformation, counterspeech is a tremendously important and timely topic. The book uniquely brings together expertise from a variety of disciplines. It explores linguistic, ethical and legal aspects of counterspeech, looks at the functions and effectiveness of counterspeech from anthropological, practical and sociological perspectives and addresses the question of how we can use modern technological advances to make counterspeech a more instantaneous and efficient option to respond to harmful language online. The greatest benefit of counterspeech lies in the ability to reach bystanders and prevent them from becoming perpetrators themselves. This volume is an excellent opportunity to spread the word about counterspeech, its potential, importance, and future endeavors.
This anthology is a great resource for scholars and students of linguistics, philosophy of language, media and communication studies, digital humanities, natural language processing, international human rights law, anthropology and sociology, and interdisciplinary research methods. It is also a valuable source of information for practitioners and anyone who wants to speak up against harmful speech.
Read the full chapter from Jacob Mchangama and Natalie Alkiviadou:
Chapter 6: Reimagining the Current Regulatory Framework to Online Hate Speech – Why Making Way for Alternative Methods is Paramount for Free Speech
This chapter establishes the backdrop that explains the need for alternative methods to dealing with online hate speech such as counternarratives. It discusses the serious shortcomings of the current approach adopted by the United States and IT companies, which focuses on tackling “hate speech” through its removal. The chapter looks at the global decline of free speech and the positive correlation between that reality and the rising power of IT companies when it comes to content removal, with reference to the particular impact this has on minority groups and communities. It analyzes the relationship between state pressure on IT companies to quickly and efficiently take down hate speech (at risk of steep fines). Further, it proposes that for communities and individuals to properly exercise their right to freedom of expression, the current regulatory approach needs to be substantially reconsidered and methods including counternarratives must be structurally and systematically advanced.