A QUT researcher awarded funding to help make the internet a safer space says digital communication, once seen as a path to a more democratic and open society, has evolved with mixed results over the past three decades.
"It has expanded access to information, enabled global connectivity, and empowered social movements, but on the flip side, it has also contributed to new forms of harm, such as misinformation, cybercrime, and polarisation," says Dr Ashwin Nagappa from the QUT School of Communication and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the QUT node of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S) and Digital Media Research Centre.
Dr Nagappa is working to create policy guidelines for better governance to minimise online harm on current and future platforms, and has been named a recipient of a 2024 AXA Research Fund post-doctoral fellowship for his project Trust in the Fediverse: Community Protocols and Automation to Combat Online Harms.
He is one of eight early-career researchers from Australia, France, Spain, The Netherlands, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States awarded up to €140,000 in grants to advance pioneering work on understanding, measuring, and mitigating the effects of misinformation.
"Online communication has grown rapidly, but effective governance frameworks for such communication systems are still evolving and have yet to provide effective protections for users, especially against hate speech and misinformation" Dr Nagappa said.
"Instead of a free, open and safe space, we have seen a sharp rise in online harm, posing threats to social, political, and financial institutions worldwide. A few dominant platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, as well as some of the messaging apps, now control much of online communication and are at the centre of these issues.
"There have been some regulations introduced to address online harm but achieving global agreement on platform governance and online safety remains a challenge."
Dr Nagappa says while there are grassroots developers creating alternative social media platforms, such as Mastodon and Bluesky, to address the shortcomings of mainstream platforms, these generally struggle with sustainable business and governance models.
"Decentralised social networking platforms like Mastodon and Bluesky, which have attracted millions of users, aim to balance free speech, trust, and safety," Dr Nagappa said.
"Utilising tools including artificial intelligence and technologies outside the mainstream, they offer spaces that amplify marginalised voices and foster discussions often censored or sidelined on mainstream platforms, as well as environments that encourage social bonding over polarisation.
"As their networks and infrastructure widens, they are offering valuable insights into new governance models.
Dr. Nagappa's AXA-funded project focuses on identifying key features of constructive ''polycentric governance' - a model that offers multi-layered rules and mechanisms for social media participation. The project aims to capture essential characteristics such as network size, content moderation practices, harm mitigation strategies, and community participation that contribute to making these digital spaces more prosocial.
"My project explores the optimal conditions under which these models minimise harm while building social connections," he said.
"The goal is to develop public policy frameworks to understanding and addressing online harm—such as misinformation, hate speech, and polarisation—on these emerging decentralised social media platforms.
"At the same time, I hope my findings will contribute to creating a more trustworthy digital communication systems, as well as safer online spaces for all."
Main image: Dr Ashwin Nagappa. Photo: Tony Phillips
