The joint project that VICO is working on with the Free University of Berlin and Beuth University of Applied Sciences Berlin aims to investigate the phenomenon of hate speech in social media, online forums and comment sections, including its (early) detectability, its causes and dynamics, and possibilities for de-escalation, as well as developing practical, software-supported options for action.

A multidimensional case study for the subject area “Refugees, migration, foreigners” will provide data material, an experimental field of action and concrete forecasting possibilities.

VICO provides high-performance digital procedures and corresponding data sources for locating, archiving and indicating online sources. The creation of interfaces and computer-supported processes is also planned, to be developed by our project partners in order to analyse almost limitless data sets. By integrating communication science explanatory models into computer-based analysis procedures, findings can be determined in near “real time”, which allows direct implementation in practical forum management systems. Information technology has the relevant processes, known as adaptive deep learning, with which classifiers can be trained to recognise communication, and which can be made usable for this project.