Symposium "Beyond the noise - Loud hate online, insidious consequences for democracy"
Symposium (On-site)
Thursday, 13th of February 2025
10:00-16:00
Academy of Sciences and Literature
Geschwister-Scholl-Straße 2
55131 Mainz
Target group(s)
Parents
Teachers
Experts / specialist audience
Journalists / media
Full-time and voluntary democracy and prevention workers
Registration
By February 1, 2025 by e-mail to [email protected]

People are insulted, harassed and threatened online every day. This can lead to anxiety, damage to self-esteem and even depression for those affected. One consequence is that more and more people are withdrawing from online discourse and the plurality of social discussions is suffering as a result. In place of a diverse exchange of interests and opinions, the dominance of those who are particularly loud and aggressive then repeatedly emerges. This also has destructive consequences for democratic interaction in societies.
The aim of the symposium is to explain who those affected are and how digital violence affects them and democratic discourse. It will discuss who is behind the hate and the goals and strategies used by haters. The final keynote speech will take a look at how social structures have changed as a result of digital transformation.
"Defending democracy online" - at the ideas market, Rhineland-Palatinate organizations and authorities will show how this can work by presenting their work against digital violence. After lunch, we invite you to talk to the exhibitors at the Ideas Market and discover what broad-based commitment against digital violence already exists in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Afterwards, the question of defending democracy online will be discussed with the speakers and you in a panel discussion.
klicksafe will be available at the event to provide visitors with materials on the topic of hate speech.
We look forward to your participation and ask you to register by February 1, 2025 by e-mail to [email protected].