Digital Hostility and Resilience - Pilot Study A

Welcome!

This page has some basic information about the Digital Hostility survey

Thank you for your interest in this project.

What is this survey about?  This study is investigating experiences of online hostility, hate speech and trolling and how people who have experienced online hostility maintain a sense of personal resilience to continue using digital communication platforms. Your participation in this study will help us understand the extent of the problem, and provide information to help us develop recommendations for service providers, platforms hosts, moderators, policy-makers and the community.

In this first phase of the research, we are asking people to fill out a brief, anonymous survey giving general information about any experience of mild-to-moderate online hostility, hate speech or trolling, and some information on how you have coped with that experience.

Why is this research important?  This research is important because it will provide a unique opportunity to understand more fully the real, lived experience of online hostility and the innovative way people respond to, manage and deal with what has become a complex but common problem in everyday online communication. The anonymous information you provide will help us understand and communicate the importance online hostility in terms of health, education and wellbeing for the broader community.

How long will this take me? The survey will take about 10-15 minutes to finish--max.

Will my responses be anonymous? The survey is completely anonymous—it asks mostly general questions about your experience and perception of online hostility and on what actions you have taken to cope with hostility. At no stage will any details about you ever be shared with anyone other than the investigators, and your responses will not be connected with your name or identity.

How does the survey work? The survey is in four parts: (a) Some background demographic questions that help us know a bit about your socio-economic background, location and age, (b) questions about one or more instances of online hostility you have experienced, (c) questions about coping with hostility, and (d) what you think should be done to reduce or prevent online hostility.

What do I have to do?  Before proceeding with the survey, please

(1) download, have a read, and keep a copy of the Participant Information sheet that gives details on the project and its ethics approval

(2) tick the consent box at the bottom of this page.

If you have any questions about the survey or the project in general, please contact the chief investigator, Professor Rob Cover (rob.cover@rmit.edu.au).

Thanks for your participation--your help and support will contribute to the work of trying to reduce digital hostility, trolling, online hate speech, cyberbullying and other problems of contemporary digital culture.

Rob :)

Question Title

* 1. Acknowledgement by Participant (Consent)

By ticking the Yes box below and proceeding to the next page in the survey, I acknowledge that:

I have read and understood the Participant Information about this survey;

I understand the purposes of the research described above;

I freely agree to participate in this research project and understand that I am free to withdraw at any time during the project without affecting my relationship with RMIT, the investigator or any third party.

Yes