Cláudia Silva, a researcher in the kNOwHATE project, took part in the 16th International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling (ICIDS) held in Kobe, Japan, from November 11-15, 2023.
The Best Short Paper award and a prize of 300 euros were bestowed upon Cláudia Silva for her work on combating hate speech through Interactive Digital Counter-Narratives (IDCN). Cláudia Silva’s paper “Fighting Against Hate Speech: A Case for Harnessing Interactive Digital Counter-Narratives” delves into the potential of IDCNs to address hate speech effectively, emphasising the limited existing research in this critical area. Drawing inspiration from two case studies and incorporating principles of decolonial thinking and Critical Race Theory, the paper highlights the unique ways digital media, including video games and VR/AR/XR, can counteract hate speech. The research argues that interactive counter-narratives offer a powerful means to challenge this societal phenomenon, preserving freedom of speech, debunking stereotypes, encouraging mutual understanding, and facilitating dialogue.