Online outrage identified as a core national challenge
Australia’s social cohesion is under “persistent pressure”, a new report warns; because terrorism, external conflicts and the lasting effects of Covid-19 exacerbate pre-existing fractures in trust.
In its latest report, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute argues that online anger is no longer an abstract social problem but a strategic risk to security.
The report found that social media platforms reward speed and spectacle over subtlety and truth, leaving the risk of politically motivated violence higher and more complex.
Rather than calling for censorship, he says social cohesion is a capability that must be actively built and protected, like defense or cybersecurity.
“What Australia needs now, as individuals, communities and as a nation, is a strengthened capacity to hold multiple, sometimes disturbing beliefs simultaneously,” the report states.
“A democratic society must have the capacity to simultaneously condemn terrorism, criticize state behavior, encourage policy debate, and protect minority communities without succumbing to moral absolutism or grievance-based justifications.”
The report also found that Australians’ trust in government, media and institutions has decreased, and the gaps since the Bondi Beach terrorist attack, Hamas’ 7 October attacks and the Covid-19 outbreak have been filled with complaints and disinformation.
“During this period, social media amplified anger, normalized online aggression, and narrowed the gap between online hostility and offline harm,” the report said.
It found that trust in institutions has declined since these decisive events, as skepticism towards authority and expertise has increased.
It recommends that the federal government appoint a national resilience communications lead in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to co-ordinate a national social cohesion communications strategy.
A digital outrage risk index overseen by the eSafety Commissioner should also be created to monitor “hyper virality events.”
