Activity 2: Online participation

Activity 2: Online participation

This activity helps participants to think about the way they use the Internet and how they participate online. Participants will identify and scale their level of online participation and also plan what kind of role they would like to have online in the future. Participants also learn how to address hate speech and how to protect human rights online in a more effective way.

Materials needed:

  • Big cardboards
  • Flipchart paper
  • Coloured pens/markers
  • Post-its
  • Copies of the handout Ladder of participation

Duration:

45 minutes

Activity description in steps:

  • Explain to participants that you have placed cards on the floor of the room and that all the cards represent different online roles: creator, conversationalist / discusser, critic, collector, “joiner”, spectator, inactive, viewer and member. Provide examples of what each role means
  • Ask participants to place themselves on one of the cards according to what they do on the Internet “in general”. How do they see their role online? How do they participate online?
  • After they have chosen their place, ask them to look around and pay attention to where others have placed themselves. You can also ask for examples of actions participants do online.
  • Ask participants to place themselves on the cards again depending on what they do on the Internet regarding combating hate speech online. After they have chosen their place, ask them to look around and pay attention where others have placed themselves. You can also ask for examples of their actions to combat hate speech online.
  • Ask participants to place themselves on the cards again, according to where they would like to see their online participation one year from now when it comes to combating hate speech online. After they have chosen their place you can ask for clarification of why they have chosen that specific role.
  • Ask participants to form small groups of 2 to 4 people. Ask groups to come up with actions they would like to take to reach the level of participation they have chosen when combating hate speech online.
  • Ask groups to share their actions with others.

Debriefing:

  • What did you think about the activity?
  • How was it to identify your role online? What did you discover about your online behaviour?
  • How was it to identify your role online regarding actions against hate speech online?
  • How was it to identify what kind of role online you would like to have when combating hate speech? How was it to think of things you could do more of online?
  • What do you think about these examples of online participation? What is their link to “offline” participation? Can people participate online as they do offline?
  • Is it important to address hate speech online in general? Why or why not?
  • How easy did you find it to think of online actions against hate speech?
  • Do you feel that you can freely participate online?