Spur:org Research Reveals You Can Experience Harm Anywhere On The Internet

No online space is free from harm, with harmful experiences occurring on fan forums, neighbourhood community pages, and even within family circles across society, as revealed by new research from mental health non-profit spur:org.

The research aims to understand the real-life human impact created by harmful online content and was commissioned by spur:org’s new flagship hate and harmful speech project Sticks & Stones. The project, officially launched last night at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, aims to combine innovative research and human storytelling to help inform individual decisions on how we interact online.

The qualitative research, undertaken by Ipsos, sought to gain a deeper understanding of the individual experiences of harmful behaviour and content online, through the lens of several key archetypes developed by spur:org that describe the roles we all play online: from deliberate trolling to speaking up to protect others, or feeling scolded for speaking your mind.

Participants in this first stage of the research covered the full range of these archetypes, and all had experience of receiving or creating harmful content on the internet in some form, across a range of identities and backgrounds.

The research found that harmful interactions stemmed from the propensity to make snap judgements online that overlooked the context and intent that might come naturally with in-person interactions. The compulsion to call someone out can be difficult to suppress for trolls and non-trolls alike.

Even perceived ‘safer’ places are not safe, with family circles judging parenting and life choices, and fan forums blasting members for contradicting ‘fan values’.

It is the absence of any ‘rules of engagement’ on the internet that results in people applying their own moral code as they seek justice and accountability for harmful behaviour.

The research also identified the ‘bystander effect’, where people interacting online have very few options when it comes to active, positive intervention, with options tending to be passive, avoidant or highly confrontational.

This has led to the emergence of a ‘grey area of harm’ where the ‘protector’, someone who speaks up to protect people online, and the ‘troll’, someone who likes to get a rise out of people online, are not easily distinguished.

Where there are examples of people changing their behaviour, self-reflection is a key trigger, such as being called out by friends, noticing a negative impact on mental health over time, ‘growing up’, and being harmed online themselves, with more personal ‘a-ha’ moments needed to prompt self-reflection and positive change.

spur:org co-founder and director, William Smith-Stubbs said the project was a step towards a more human internet.

“Our digital lives can be full of wonderful experiences and connection. Yet, they can also be a source of real harm and hate. From new mums in parenting groups to young gamers and everyone in between, we all have stories of receiving online harm – or creating it, whether we know it or not,” he said.

“The common feeling, from talking to a lot of people, is that the world is angrier and less tolerant each and every day – and this initial study seems to validate that feeling. I don’t believe the internet to be the cause of this, but it is increasingly where we spend our time and express ourselves the most. And so, Sticks & Stones is one of the most important projects we’ve ever undertaken, to help all of us understand each other, and the impact our words and actions have. If the world wants it, the internet can be a kinder and more human place.”

Ipsos UU managing director ANZ, Aiden Regan, said: “From the outset we were very excited by the opportunity to work in partnership with spur:org to provide insights and understanding to support the launch of the Sticks & Stones project. As researchers we are fascinated by human behaviour and have always believed that developing a deeper understanding of the motivations in this space would be extremely powerful and important if we want to bring about meaningful behaviour change. It has been hugely beneficial to directly hear the human stories of harmful content online from those that experience the impact. We are already starting to unearth some critical insights that will inform the work of this important project.”

The second stage of the research is due to commence in September and will involve a mix of one-to-one and small group discussions to explore emerging thinking and to elaborate on the stories and experiences that have come via the first stage. A key focus of the second stage will be developing a better understanding of the different archetypes and the drivers for behavioural change.

After the initial research period, Sticks & Stones will develop several resources including a handbook for difficult conversations about harm, a digital library of human stories, and a physical space combining art, history, stories, and experiences to explore and understand hate.