Defining, Combating, and Designing Against Online Harassment

[mozfest-bot]

[ UUID ] 0701c199-7ab8-45f0-9c14-108d818d8f56

[ Session Name ] Defining, Combating, and Designing Against Online Harassment [ Primary Space ] Digital Inclusion

[ Submitter's Name ] Kaitlin Mahar [ Submitter's Affiliated Organisation ] Haystack Group at MIT CSAIL [ Submitter's Github ] @kmahar

[ Additional facilitators ] Amy Zhang

What will happen in your session?

Participants will split into small groups (3-4) for duration of session. First they will discuss what defines online harassment, and whether certain things constitute it. Next, we’ll present a few different examples of online harassment on different platforms, and ask them to discuss whether the example is harassment. We'll then share what the actual platform decided. Then they'll brainstorm ways they can support friends (or anyone) on the internet that they see experiencing harassment. Finally, each group will choose a platform and brainstorm ways to work with, or around it, to prevent harassment (our tool Squadbox is one example of this.) In the end we'll ask each group to briefly present important points from their conversation, and add our own thoughts.

What is the goal or outcome of your session?

The goal is twofold. First, to give participants a better understanding of online harassment in general: how it manifests itself on various platforms, how there is no consensus on what exactly it is, and the impacts it can have on individuals and online communities. Secondly, to empower participants to take action. They will learn how they can help people experiencing it in non-technical ways, as well as how interface and system design, and platform policies, can have an impact on whether, and how, users experience harassment. We aim to give them the tools they need to think critically about how to combat and prevent harassment through better design and innovative solutions that work around or with existing platforms.

If your session requires additional materials or electronic equipment, please outline your needs.

Projector, paper, pens

Time needed

60 mins

[kmahar]

@amyxzhang @karger

[kenyatta1]

This proposal has progressed to our next phase of deliberation! We will be following up shortly.

[kenyatta1]

@kmahar . Congratulations! We are very happy to announce that we have accepted your session at the festival this year! We will be in touch with additional information in the coming weeks.