Research from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Center for Technology and Society (CTS) reveals that some Facebook groups in local communities have turned into toxic platforms for harassment. The most vulnerable on these platforms include Jews, women, LGBTQ+ advocates, immigrants, and people of color.
According to an ADL press release, ADL CTS researchers conducted the study through interviews with community members, targets of the harassment, and other stakeholders. They also used online observation, content analysis, and data scraping.
The ADL zoomed in on hate and harassment occurring on Facebook groups or pages in three local regions. In all three cases, the ADL pointed out that those engaging in harassment were usually people who are part of the local political establishment. These individuals excluded those they considered as "threatening outsiders" to maintain control over civic life.
The communities included a suburban county outside New York City where neighbors organized against a growing Orthodox Jewish community; a town near Boston that saw backlash when a woman of color won a municipal election; and a small Ohio town where a reproductive rights activist was harassed out of town by extremist groups while running for city council. A common feature among these locations was hate-based harassment occurring on neighborhood Facebook pages and groups.
ADL CTS researchers identified a pattern in these case studies: An event or series of events unfold when someone from a marginalized group gets involved in local civic life; tensions flare in existing or new community Facebook Pages and Groups, with hate and harassment often taking place anonymously; and disgruntled community members respond by taking public actions or engaging in other forms of online and offline harassment, such as trolling campaigns.
"Harassment on neighborhood and local groups and pages can be terribly damaging for targeted individuals and families, leading not only to emotional harm but also to potential physical violence and withdrawal from participating in civic life," Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO, stated in the press release. "Addressing online harassment in local communities requires concrete steps from platforms and policymakers and we are calling on all responsible parties to take action now to protect all communities."