#defyhatenow Social Media Hate Speech Mitigation Field Guide

Developed and compiled by the #defyhatenow initiative with selected excerpts from materials published by collaborative partner organisations & networks, 2015 – 2018.

#defyhatenow context

#defyhatenow responds to South Sudan’s ongoing civil crisis by addressing the roles played by social media users in exacerbating or helping to mitigate these issues, since the eruption of conflict in December 2013 and July 2016.

Our vision is to strengthen the voices and support the actions of youth, women's and civil society organisations, peace activists and independent journalists in South Sudan to develop strategies as part of a global 'dangerous speech' mitigation community. The #defyhatenow initiative also aims to create an awareness of the impact hate speech has in potentially fueling conflict and offers training in how social media can be used in a constructive and peacebuilding manner.

#defyhatenow aims to raise awareness of and develop means for countering social media based hate speech, conflict rhetoric and directed online incitement to violence and to amplify 'positive influencers' occupying South Sudan's social media landscape with voices of peacebuilding and counter-messaging rather than leaving that space open to agents of conflict.

The #defyhatenow initiative to combat social media hate speech by the r0g_agency for open culture and critical transformation gGmbH, Berlin, with partners in South Sudan and internationally, is funded by the ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (zivik) with means of the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt).