Research

Cyberhate in society website gathers the latest research-evidence on this severe phenomenon and the possible remedies to decrease the problem.

PhD project Celuch, M.: Aftermath of Internet abuse: Targets’ and bystanders’ reactions to online harassment

MSci. Magdalena Celuch’s work examines online harassment experiences among adults in both professional and personal contexts. This research delves into the impact that the harassment has on individuals and investigates how victims and bystanders react and deal with the experience. The results yield valuable insights for effectively supporting those affected by online harassment.

Funding: Faculty of Social Sciences, 2021–2024.
Supervisors: Atte Oksanen & Noora Ellonen.

Hate and public sphere: Societal impacts and legal remedies

PI professor Atte Oksanen. Research consortium together with professor Päivi Korpisaari

This project aims to provide research-evidence on how to tackle this major problem of cyberhate (i.e. online hate) and related intensions to influence on societal decision and policy making legally and societally. To this end, our objective is to analyze, explain and decrease cyberhate, and reduce its effects. The project will conduct state-of-art review of legal protection and use legal documents to see if citizens are equally protected by the law. Also employer’s actions in work related online hate are studied.

Funded by the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation in 2020–2021

Online Extremism in a Cross-National Context: Risk, Exposure and Participation 

Cross-national research project group James Hawdon, Atte Oksanen, John Ryan, Pekka Räsänen, Catherine Blaya, Vincent Llorent & Izabela Zych

This project aims to analyze cyberhate victimization and offending using cross-national surveys from Finland, France, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States of youth and young adults ages 18-25.  The study goes beyond existing research on hate speech exposure by adding new measures and selection of countries including the American and European perspectives to the phenomenon.

Funded by the Institute for Society, Culture and Environment, US in 2017–2020

Past projects on Cyberhate

Hate Communities: A Cross-National Comparison. PIs Atte Oksanen & Pekka Räsänen. Funded by the Kone Foundation in 2013–2016.

Web of Rage: Extreme online communities in the light of research and analytic journalism. PI Atte Oksanen. Funded by the Kone Foundation in 2014–2015.

Web of Hatred and Violence? Virtual Generation and Youth Cultural Change. PI Atte Oksanen. Funded by the Youth Research Society & Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland, in 2012–2013