This animated video presents the concept of our problem, online abuse and harassment, and the need for automated solutions. This was used as part of our live presentation during the Digital Society School’s Fall 2019 showcase.
The animation shows a user typing away at a computer, when he comes across an abusive tweet which offends and angers him. He doesn’t take action at first, but then another abusive tweet comes across his feed and he feels so hurt and outraged that he feels he must intervene. He tries to find the right words to express his hurt, and after he submits his intervention he feels pleased that he’s done something to help the situation. Then he receives an avalanche of abusive tweets directed at him for speaking up.
This short story shows the imperative for us to create automated solutions to online abuse, because there is no current intervention mechanism that guarantees that a third party will be safe from psychological harm for speaking out against abuse.