All posts tagged: forums

Our research on dark web forums reveals the growing threat of AI-generated child abuse images

Our research on dark web forums reveals the growing threat of AI-generated child abuse images

Published by skeptic

The UK aims to be the first country in the world to create new offences related to AI-generated sexual abuse. New laws will make it illegal to possess, create or distribute AI tools designed to generate child sexual abuse material (CSAM), punishable by up to five years in prison. The laws will also make it illegal for anyone to possess so-called “paedophile manuals” which teach people how to use AI to sexually abuse children. In the last few decades, the threat against children from online abuse has multiplied at a concerning rate. According to the Internet Watch Foundation, which tracks down and removes abuse from the internet, there has been an 830% rise in online child sexual abuse imagery since 2014. The prevalence of AI image generation tools is fuelling this further. Last year, we at the International Policing and Protection Research Institute at Anglia Ruskin University published a report on the growing demand for AI-generated child sexual abuse material online. Researchers analysed chats that took place in dark web forums over the previous 12 …

Support dynamics in incel forums reveal contrasts between problem-solving and empathy

Support dynamics in incel forums reveal contrasts between problem-solving and empathy

Published by José

A recent study published in The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality documented the exchange of social support within incel forums. Incel forums, online spaces for men experiencing involuntary celibacy, are often examined through the lens of misogyny and radicalization. However, these forums also function as sources of social support, where members seek advice, validation, and emotional reassurance. This study explores how support is exchanged within two distinct incel communities: r/IncelExit, where users aim to leave the incelosphere, and Incels.is, a forum for those who remain embedded in incel ideology. Researchers Sabrina Leite-Mendonca and Marie-Aude Boislard analyzed 37 discussion threads, 29 from r/IncelExit and 8 from Incels.is, collected over one month (August-September 2022). Threads were included if they contained requests or exchanges of social support. Using a mixed thematic analysis approach, they categorized the content based on five types of social support: informational, emotional, esteem, network, and tangible. The data were independently coded by two researchers, with discrepancies resolved through discussion. The analysis also considered the presence of antisocial support, defined as exchanges encouraging self-destructive behaviors. …

Incel forums reveal persistent, widespread misogyny regardless of user engagement

Incel forums reveal persistent, widespread misogyny regardless of user engagement

Published by José

According to a study published in New Media & Society, misogynistic language is pervasive within online communities of involuntarily celibate men (incels), with more than 80% of threads containing misogynistic terms. Michael Halpin and colleagues examined how members of the online incel community express misogyny. This community, composed mostly of men who identify as unable to find romantic partners, shares a belief that their romantic rejection stems from systemic discrimination based on physical appearance, or “lookism.” This perspective has fueled discourse that promotes hostility toward women and dismisses gender equality, often through “black pill” ideology, which argues that incels are condemned to remain alone due to their physical traits. This research builds on previous findings that incels participate in a hybrid form of masculinity by embracing both hegemonic and subordinate traits. Rather than simply adopting a victim identity, incels tend to position themselves as “failed men” who weaponize their perceived rejection to justify hostility against women. The researchers collected and analyzed data from one of the largest incel discussion boards, incels.is, covering posts between November …

Study explores women’s voices in online pornography abstinence forums

Study explores women’s voices in online pornography abstinence forums

Published by José

A new study published in Archives of Sexual Behavior examined how women in pornography abstinence forums, particularly r/pornfreewomen, use their experiences of abstaining from pornography to challenge societal norms and support each other. Online forums like Porn Free Women provide spaces for women to discuss their challenges and experiences with pornography abstinence. The current research shifts focus from the more commonly researched male perspectives to highlight the unique experiences of women in these online communities. This research adopted sexual script theory, a perspective suggesting that our behaviors and roles in sexuality are not only biologically based but also shaped by societal norms and cultural scripts. This theory elucidates how individuals internalize and perform expected sexual behaviors that are presumably learned through interaction with their social environments. Researchers Xinyu Zhang and David E. Silva utilized a mixed methods approach combining structural topic modeling (STM) and critical discourse analysis (CDA) to analyze discussions in the r/pornfreewomen subreddit. The study collected posts from January 2019 to February 2023, totaling 8,135 submissions. The dataset included user-generated content that ranged …

Google’s new tools help discussion forums and social media platforms rank higher in search results

Google’s new tools help discussion forums and social media platforms rank higher in search results

Published by skeptic

Google today introduced new tools for website owners, including those running social media sites and discussion forums, who want to better elevate their content in Google’s search results. The feature follows Google’s reprioritization of user-generated web content over SEO-optimized junk, which has increasingly become a problem on today’s modern web. In May, Google first rolled out a new “Perspectives” search filter that would highlight posts from discussion boards like Reddit, Q&A sites like Quora, and social media platforms in its search results. The feature, which first arrived on mobile, was launched to desktop users earlier this month along with other search changes. The company also said its ranking algorithm was being updated to push more of these first-hand perspectives higher in search results so they’re easier to find. With the new tools, Google is giving websites hosting first-person perspectives the ability to signal to the search engine how their data is structured so their content will be featured both accurately and “as complete as possible” in Google’s Search Results, the company explains. For example, with …