Online Othering by Lumsden, Karen; Harmer, Emily;

Long description:

This book explores the discrimination encountered and propagated by individuals in online environments. The editors develop the concept of 'online othering' as a tool through which to analyse and make sense of the myriad toxic and harmful behaviours which are being created through, or perpetuated via, the use of communication-technologies such as the internet, social media, and ‘the internet of things’. The book problematises the dichotomy assumed between real and virtual spaces by exploring the construction of online abuse, victims' experiences, resistance to online othering, and the policing of interpersonal cyber-crime. The relationship between various socio-political institutions and experiences of online hate speech are also explored.

Online Othering explores the extent to which forms of information-technologies facilitate, exacerbate, and/or promote the enactment of traditional offline offences (such as domestic abuse and stalking). It focuses on the construction and perpetration of online abuse through examples such as the far-right, the alt-right and Men's Rights Activists. It also explores experiences of, and resistance to, online abuse via examples such as victims' experiences of revenge porn, online abuse and misogyny, transphobia, disability hate crime, and the ways in which online othering is intersectional. Finally, the collection addresses the role of the police and other agencies in terms of their interventions, and the regulation and governance of virtual space(s). Contributions to the volume come from fields including sociology; communication and media studies; psychology; criminology; political studies; information science and gender studies. Online Othering is one of the very first collections to explore a multitude of abuses and their relationship to information and communication technology.

Table of Contents:

1. Online Othering’ And The Dark Side Of The Web .- 2. Online Hate Movements: From The Far-Right To The 'Alt-Right' And From The Margins To The Mainstream.- Epistemologies Of The Edge: Transgression, Social Media And The 'Alt-Right' .- 4 Libcucks, Fags And Useful Idiots: The Othering Of Oppositional White Masculinities By The ‘Alt-Right’.- 5 ‘“I Want To Kill You In Front Of Your Children” Is Not A Threat. It's An Expression Of A Desire, Not Of An Intent’: Discourses Of Trolling And Gendered Violence On A Reddit Men’s Rights Activist (MRA) Forum.- 6. Online/Offline Continuities: Online Abuse Of Feminists As A Form Of Violence Against Women.- 7. Gendered Hate On Twitter: The ‘Othering’ Of Women In Digital Spaces.- 8. Power, Pleasure And Pain: Approaching Sexting And Revenge Porn With Post-Feminism.- 9. Othering Political Women: Online Misogyny And Racism Towards Women In Public Life.- 10. The Online ‘Othering’ Of Transgender And Non-Binary People: A Discourse Analysis Of Comments On Youtube Videos On ‘Gender Neutral Toilets’.- 11. Disability Hate Speech: Interrogating The Online/Offline Distinction.- 12. Rural Racism In The Digital Age.- 13. The Dark Web Mapping Project.- 14. ‘When I Saw Women Being Attacked...It Has Made Me Want To Stand Up And Fight’: Reporting, Responding To, And Resisting Online Misogyny .- 15. Critique Of The Stalking Risk Profile: The Changing Nature Of Online Relationships In Cases Of Cyberstalking. 16. ‘Why Don’t You Just Block Them?’: Police Responses To Reports Of Online Harassment And Their Construction Of The ‘Ideal Victim’.- 17. Policing Hate Crime: The Challenges Involved In Investigating And Prosecuting Hate Crime Online.- 18. Conclusion.