Glossary

AI

AI (Artificial Intelligence) is a machine-based system designed to operate with varying levels of autonomy and that may exhibit adaptiveness after deployment and that, for explicit or implicit objectives, infers, from the input it receives, how to generate outputs such as predictions, content, recommendations, or decisions that can influence physical or virtual environments.

Algorithm

Algorithms are human-programmed instructions that tell computers step by step what to do and in what order to solve tasks and analyze data according to specific rules.

Ban

In gaming, players can be temporarily or permanently banned if they behave inappropriately and, for example, insult other players or spread hate speech.

Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theories are narratives or beliefs that attribute significant historical events or situations to secret, often malicious machinations of a small, hidden group, often diverging from the prevailing opinion and lacking sufficient credible evidence.

Counter Speech

Counter Speech in relation to "online hate" describes the linguistic reaction to hate speech and agitation. You try to take the strategy of the hater into account. It has been proven that empathetic counter speech has a de-escalating effect.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying describes systematic online attacks against individuals, e.g. in the form of threats, harassment or embarrassment. Unlike "hate speech," cyberbullying does not aim at entire groups, but at an individual.

Debunking

Exposing wrong/misleading/manipulative information with a factual basis. 

Deepfake

Deepfakes are deceptively realistic manipulated images, audio, or video recordings. They are created with the help of artificial intelligence.

Disinformation

Disinformation is false information which deliberately intends to mislead or manipulate—intentionally misstating the facts to follow one’s own agenda.

Echo Chamber

An echo chamber arises when people primarily consume information that corresponds to their already existing opinions. This way, people often surround themselves with like-minded individuals who share and reinforce their position. Unlike filter bubbles, where algorithms select the information, the echo chamber is created by the individual's personal selection behavior.

Fact Checking

Fact Checking describes the examination of published content according to journalistic standards. Fact checking is a form of debunking.

Fake News

Fake news is information that conveys false claims or misrepresents facts. They can appear as text, but also in the form of images or videos, and are used for targeted and strategic opinion manipulation.

Filter Bubble

Filter bubbles lead to receiving information online that corresponds only to one’s own opinion. They arise from algorithms that analyze the activities of users on the internet and pre-select content accordingly. Through this mechanism, other arguments and perspectives are left out, which are important for forming one's own opinion.

Hate-Speech

Hate speech describes linguistic attacks that are inhuman and directed against individuals or groups of people. The assumption causing this behavior is that other people are less worthy, for example, because of their origin, sexual orientation, or gender.

Love Speech

"Love Speech" means something like "Nice and warm language". It is based on the idea of – in contrast to "hate speech" – spreading positive and peaceful language. Likewise, "love speech" can be understood as a possible reaction to hate speech, which can have a de-escalating effect.

Netiquette

The term “Netiquette” refers to rules, e.g. in social networks, that are intended to maintain friendly and fair online interaction. The term is composed of the English "net" and the French "etiquette" (rules of conduct).

Noob

The term "noob" is a pejorative term in the gaming scene, used to describe other players as bad and unable to learn.

Prebunking

Preventive education about the mechanisms of disinformation by providing information and analytical tools to strengthen resilience to misleading content.

Propaganda

Propaganda is the practice of conscious manipulation of individuals in their thinking, acting and feeling. (Focus: political field)

Shitstorm

Ein Shitstorm ist das plötzliche und hohe Aufkommen von negativer Kritik, meist in Form von Kommentaren in den sozialen Medien. Ursache können bestimmte Äußerungen oder Handlungen sein, die der Öffentlichkeit missfallen. Ein Shitstorm kann sowohl Einzelpersonen, aber auch Unternehmen oder Organisationen treffen. 

Silencing

(engl., zum Schweigen bringen). Eine Strategie, um Menschen zum Schweigen zu bringen, indem man sie online demütigt, beleidigt oder diskriminiert. Die Folge: Aus Angst vor Hasskommentaren bekennen sie sich im Netz nicht mehr zu ihrer Meinung oder ziehen sich ganz daraus zurück. 

Social Bot

Unter Social Bots (Kurzform soziale Roboter) versteht man automatisierte Softwareprogramme, welche menschliches Verhalten in sozialen Netzwerken nachahmen und reale Nutzer imitieren.

Troll

Im Internet bezeichnet der Ausdruck "Troll" eine Person, die absichtlich Unruhe stiftet und emotional provoziert.

Verschwörungsnarrative

Verschwörungsnarrative (umgangssprachlich Verschwörungstheorien) sind Narrative oder Überzeugungen, die wichtige historische Ereignisse oder Situationen auf geheime, oft bösartige Machenschaften einer kleinen, verborgenen Gruppe zurückführen, oft abweichend von der vorherrschenden Meinung und ohne ausreichende glaubwürdige Beweise.