The devil is in the detail: reconceptualising bystander reactions to online political hostility

Tanja Marie Hansen, Lasse Lindekilde and Simon Tobias Schulz Karg

Behaviour and Information Technology, 2024, vol. 43, issue 14, 3523-3536

Abstract: Online content moderation is often equated with platform-initiated take-downs and account suspensions. Counterspeech and other types of pro-social bystander behaviours present alternative approaches. They rely on the reactions of online bystanders to crowd-moderate hostile content. However, the current conceptual understanding of bystander reactions to hostility on social media is inadequate. What constitutes a reaction; what functions do specific reactions serve; and what audiences are reactions aimed at? Conceptual clarity is a prerequisite for studying the prevalence and consequences of pro-social bystander reactions. We therefore offer a novel unifying framework for conceptualising bystander reactions to online hostility: The Online Bystander Repertoire of Action (OBRA) Framework. This provides a foundation for future research on crowd-moderation, as it (1) combines insights across multiple research fields, (2) explicates the complex possible reactions beyond simplistic ‘reaction/no reaction’ distinctions and (3) draws attention to the degree of pro-sociality of bystander reactions – something that is often taken for granted.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1080/0144929X.2023.2282653

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