The collaborative project, RESPOND!
Pursues the goal of developing and disseminating a sustainable counter-voice of young people to combat antisemitic hate speech on social media in Germany.
Builds on a combination of basic and applied research, and seeks to develop sustainable measures and concepts for education and prevention work.
Aims to enable young addressees and witnesses of antisemitic hate speech to recognize its discursive tactics on social media, even in their modern and more subtle manifestations, and to respond to them in a media-competent manner.
These goals will be addressed by four separate, but interconnected studies
Study 1
An investigation of the manifestations of antisemitic hate speech in social media channels used by young people in Germany. The study relies on media diaries created by young social media users from different backgrounds to explore the various forms of antisemitic discourse, both overt and implicit, currently at large on social media in Germany.
Study 2
Based on forms of antisemitic discourse uncovered in Study 1, the present study explores young people’s media competence levels in dealing with antisemitic content online. Thus, through focus group interviews with young people active on social media, Study 2 aims to learn about the kinds of antisemitic hate speech content with which they feel confident in dealing. More importantly, the interviews are also to help shed light on which manifestations of antisemitic stereotypes and prejudices young people find more difficult to address in their social media interactions.
Study 3
The combined insights provided by Studies 1 and 2 lay the foundation for the creation of RESPOND!’s signature Media Competence Training. Study 3 will focus on the development, implementation, and evaluation of the Training focused on helping young people address and combat antisemitic hate speech online. Through a train-the-trainer procedure, the training will also be multiplied on further 600 young RESPOND!ers against antisemitic hate speech on social media.
Study 4
The final study within RESPOND! brings our signature Media Competence Training targeting antisemitic hate speech to local schools in the Berlin, Potsdam, and Bielefeld area. In consequence, 600 teachers will be sensitized to the strengths and vulnerabilities of young social media users in Germany in dealing with antisemitic discourse online.
The four studies build on each other. For this purpose, RESPOND! assembles a scientific expert team of antisemitism researchers, media psychologists, together with experts from the fields of education, racism prevention and social services. Participating academic institutions are Touro University Berlin, Hochschule Bielefeld – University of Applied Sciences and Arts, and the University of Potsdam. RESPOND! cooperates closely with the Jewish Community of Berlin, the largest Jewish community in Germany.