Understanding and Countering Toxic Online Communication

eDeTox (Deconstructing Antisocial Behaviour and Toxic Communication Online) is a research project funded by the Italian Science Fund (FIS) through a Consolidator Grant and hosted by the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the University of Bologna.

The project investigates how toxic communication and antisocial behaviour spread across digital platforms in Europe, who is most affected by them, and which educational, technological, and regulatory responses can effectively mitigate their impact.

eDeTox focuses on three major areas of online toxicity: anti-scientific beliefs and health misinformation, racist and xenophobic hate speech, and misogynistic and anti-LGBTQ+ online cultures. Through a comparative approach, these phenomena are examined across Italy, England, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Finland, capturing diverse social, cultural, and digital environments.

eDeTox adopts an interdisciplinary mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative, computational, qualitative, and socio-legal research methods. The project integrates the analysis of large-scale digital datasets, victimization and self-report surveys, and digital ethnographies of online communities to provide a comprehensive understanding of toxic communication and antisocial behaviour online.

In line with the principles of Open Science, all data collected throughout the project will be made available in anonymized, open-access formats at the end of the research period, in full compliance with GDPR requirements and the ethical guidelines of the University of Bologna.

eDeTox is structured around four interconnected research components. The first three examine the key dimensions of toxic communication and antisocial behaviour online: harms, digital environments, and people. By understanding how these dimensions interact, the project aims to build a comprehensive evidence base for more effective prevention and mitigation strategies.

The project identifies the often hidden harms associated with toxic online communication and maps the platform features, social dynamics, and systemic opportunities that enable or facilitate its spread. It also investigates what drives individuals to engage in toxic behaviours online, what factors encourage disengagement, why some people successfully resist exposure to harmful content, and how victims and targets experience and respond to online abuse.

The fourth component focuses on developing and evaluating innovative responses. Drawing on the findings from the other research strands, eDeTox explores educational, social, technological, and regulatory approaches aimed at preventing harmful online behaviours and reducing their impact on individuals, communities, and society.