Speaker
Description
Theoretical Background and Objective:
Online racism is a growing societal challenge in Ireland, with significant implications for
understanding online hate overall. From a social ecological standpoint, existing research has
extensively addressed victimology and socio-political underpinnings of online racism, but there
remains key gaps in understanding the psychological profiles of perpetrators. This project aimed to
address this gap and develop evidence-based prevention strategies using participatory design.
Methodology:
The study was conducted in two phases. Phase one involved a nationwide, anonymous survey to
explore the psychological profiles, motivations, and contextual factors influencing online racism. In
phase two, the survey findings informed a participatory design session with key stakeholders. This
co-creation event brought together community leaders, educators, policymakers, technologists, and
affected groups to collaboratively ideate and prototype prevention strategies. Participants engaged in
facilitated design exercises, brainstorming personas, and feedback loops, ensuring that the solutions
were both evidence-based and community-driven. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to
interrogate the data.
Results:
Our participatory design outputs showcased stakeholder perspectives on actionable prevention
strategies to combat online racism. This included: (i) understanding the perpetrator, (ii) interrupting
the act(s) of perpetration, and (iii) meaningful multi-stakeholder engagement with communities.
Conclusion with Implications for Practice:
The project illustrates the value of combining empirical research with participatory methods to tackle
sensitive issues. By engaging stakeholders in co-creation, the study offers a model of good practice
for critically applying participatory design to understand online racism, with direct relevance to
anti-bullying initiatives.
| Please also indicate what kind of contribution it is: | Mixed |
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