NEUSTART has been carrying out a project titled "Dialog statt Hass" (dialogue instead of hatred) since January 2018. The number of offences pertaining to incitement have been continuously rising, in particular in social media. The following phenomenon can be observed among persons who are transferred to NEUSTART by prosecutors and judges: “If an ‘anonymous screen’ is replaced by or extended to a dialogue with persons sitting at the same table, hatred can change to dialogue even if the interlocutors continue to have opposite standpoints.”

When working on the topic in the context of human rights, we see that the phenomenon of hatred mostly emerges towards vulnerable groups, journalists, and activists. 

This project attempts to answer the research question of which specific methods Social Workers of the organization NEUSTART apply and which know-how they need to safeguard human rights in social media.  

The project’s methodology is based on a circular research process. The following options are possible: narrative interviews with persons who were transferred to NEUSTART pursuant to § 283 of the Criminal Code on incitement (Verhetzung); participant observation in diverse offers for groups; studying of files and records and material analysis based on the documentation and notes on these files and records; interviews with project staff members of other model locations who work on the topic of online hatred. 

It is also highly relevant for Social Workers to reflect upon and evaluate the methods used in the field of social media against the background of social phenomena.