Toxicity online:
Why it’s not just a problem for individuals
Harassment has been growing online. And online abuse is discouraging vulnerable groups from participating in online discourse.
Globally, underrepresented populations — especially those made up of people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ community members — are the most likely to experience violence online.1
A full 85% of women have witnessed online violence, and 38% have experienced it personally.2
Jigsaw, a team within Google that explores threats to open societies, partnered with The Economist Intelligence Unit to research the problem. We learned that the most prevalent tactics used to threaten women online are often wielded together in attempts to remove them from public discourse.3
Though many platforms have clear policies prohibiting abusive behavior, some users still manage to find ways to harass, attack, and intimidate others.
While anyone can experience harassment online, women who are journalists, politicians, and activists in the public eye are at the highest risk.4
JOURNALISTS
POLITICIANS
ACTIVISTS
A full 63% of women journalists said they had been threatened or harassed online. Of those, roughly 40% said they avoided reporting certain stories as a result.5
The easiest part is dealing with the impact of online violence and disinformation on me. I just see the impact on the world, and I don’t know why we’re
not panicking.
Maria Ressa
CEO and Co-Founder, Rappler
2021 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
6
Google’s Jigsaw team has created Harassment Manager, an open-source tool that helps people document and manage toxic language targeted at them on social media. The project started with Twitter, a partner on the launch.
But this issue goes
beyond just helping
individual journalists
and content creators.
This isn’t an individual’s burden to bear. It’s an occupational hazard, and we need to start thinking of it that way.
Kathleen Searles
Associate Professor of Political Communication
Louisiana State University
Newsrooms are not the only employers tackling this issue. When individuals are attacked online in a way that intersects with their work responsibilities, more companies are taking action.
More companies and business leaders are starting to take stands on social issues, but there can be blowback. Being able to offer this tool or share it would be a huge benefit to agencies like mine and those we counsel.
Kristen Lisanti
Chief Culture Officer
BCW Global