Varia: When Trying to Resolve Aggressive Conflicts Online, is it more Effective to Employ Counter-Speech, or is it more Effective to Remove the Aggressive Content?

Abstract

The terms and conditions for using social platforms and the Internet grow more complex as governments struggle to provide instruments that avoid employing censorship techniques to revoke free speech, but at the same time provide online users with a safe environment and shelter from experiencing abuse or aggressive behavior. This ethical dilemma has apparently split Europe into two contradicting schools of thought. In July 2017 a search to identify relevant publications on the topic of online moral disagreement was conducted on the “Communication and Mass Media Complete” electronic database. The objective of the search was to find articles related to the topic, published in English between 2015 and 2018 with access to the full text. This systematic literature review is the final product of the materials found.