The role of Digital Media tools in combating LGBTIQ+ violence
The UP4Diversity project is developing a prototype app designed to promote upstander interventions. One of our partners, the Centre for Digital Youth Care, brings extensive expertise and close collaborations with young people in creating such tools. Our project has identified the immense and largely untapped potential of digital media to be used in upstander interventions for reducing bullying and violence against LGBT+ individuals.
Why are digital media tools important?
Advances in digital technology make it possible to create immersive environments that successfully simulate real-life situations.
Approaches such as virtual reality and serious games provide countless opportunities to design creative, realistic scenarios.
Using digital tools also offers a safe space for practicing upstander interventions. It allows vulnerable individuals to control their level of exposure to potentially triggering situations or memories.
Why should educators use digital technology for upstander interventions?
Digital tools are versatile and can be used repeatedly, even if their initial cost for institutions may be high.
Training sessions focused on upstander behaviour gain flexibility through digital formats, which can be adapted for individual or group use.
This enables educators to tailor their approach to the specific needs of their students.
Most importantly, digital tools capture students' interest and attention, making it easier to teach even abstract concepts such as empathy.
While it is difficult to directly compare the effectiveness of face-to-face and digital training, it is clear that young people's familiarity and fluency with digital media are defining features of their lives today. They no longer make sharp distinctions between online and offline worlds, signalling new forms of socialisation and highlighting the potential for a broader use of digital tools in education.
Finally, using digital media to combat LGBTIQ+ violence is crucial because cyberbullying affects LGBTQ youth at significantly higher rates.
Cyberbullying can occur anytime and anywhere, increasing victims' vulnerability.
Therefore, using digital media to combat LGBT+ bullying and cyberbullying can serve as an antidote to the negative and harmful experiences faced by the LGBT+ community online, and can help foster empathy, solidarity, and positive digital citizenship.
