Decode Hate on Social Media with Matthias J. Becker, Presented by The Westport Library Common Ground Initiative

Decode Hate With Us

As social media transcends the boundaries of the digital world, how do we differentiate between free speech and hate speech online — and how do we combat its harmful effects?

The Westport Library is excited to present a special interactive Common Ground experience that will answer these questions and more, giving participants of all ages the tools they need to Decode Hate — by identifying harmful discourse and recognizing how it shapes our worldview online and offline.

Led by renowned research scholar Dr. Matthias J. Becker, the centerpiece of this three-part experience is a 90-minute seminar and Q&A on April 21 at 7 pm, free to attend and open to all.

Prior to the seminar on April 21, high school students are invited to join us in Brooks Place at 6 pm to learn about the second component of this experience: an accompanying Decode Hate Video Challenge for Teens. We'll kick things off with pizza as we spark the conversation on bias and hate — from slurs to memes to microaggressions and more.

This challenge offers teens the chance to speak up and create a compelling 1-2 minute video that demonstrates how social media shapes hate. Together, we’ll expose how bias spreads and flip the script toward respect, empathy, and real conversation.

Use your voice for change and win cash prizes! First place wins $1000; second place: $750; third place: $500. Click here for more details and challenge guidelines.

Following this informative session, challenge participants will join us for Dr. Becker's talk at 7 pm. Learn something new and get inspired to turn Dr. Becker's expertise into a narrative that shines a light on hate and makes your audience think.

Challenge participants and seminar attendees are then invited to return on Thursday, May 28 at 6 pm for a LIVE judging panel and awards ceremony with the top five finalists. Join us as we award the winners and celebrate the impact of our community as it comes together to uplift each other's voices.

That same day, Dr. Becker will return to Brooks Place for an interactive second part to his seminar where we'll revisit the topics touched upon in the April 21 seminar.

Support for this Common Ground Initiative special presentation with Matthias Becker is provided by CT Humanities as part of its America 250 | CT program.

About the Seminar

On April 21 at 7 pm, Dr. Becker will examine how social media platforms are reshaping the boundaries between free speech and hate speech — and how these shifts are affecting democratic culture, social cohesion, and public life in today’s polarized digital societies.

Drawing on over a decade of research in discourse studies and recent AI-supported social media analysis, the talk explores how online polarization, radicalization, and the spread of hate speech and conspiracy narratives are shaped by algorithms, attention economies, and platform-specific communication styles.

Why You Should Come

Dr. Becker is one of the world’s foremost experts on the impacts of social media on democracy and the social fabric.

The session at the Library will examine how the conditions of online communication have fundamentally transformed political discourse and societal exchange in recent years, with significant implications for how contemporary developments are debated and how individuals engage with diverging views. It then looks closely at how irony, ambiguity, implicit bias, and strategic vagueness allow illiberal and anti-democratic ideas to circulate in mainstream online spaces — often without appearing overtly extremist.

Through a combination of empirical case studies and theoretical reflection, Dr. Becker shows how digital communication dynamics shape what becomes visible, legitimate, or normalized in public debate, and how these processes affect social trust, democratic norms, and collective responsibility.

The evening combines a research-based lecture with an open, moderated discussion, inviting participants to reflect on civic responsibility, pluralism, and democratic resilience in digital environments. The program is designed for a broad audience and emphasizes practical, research-informed insight into understanding and navigating contemporary online discourse and its real-world consequences.

About Dr. Matthias Becker

Dr. Matthias J. Becker is AddressHate Research Scholar at New York University's Center for the Study of Antisemitism. He is the founder and lead of Decoding Antisemitism, one of the largest studies of online antisemitism conducted worldwide, and now leads its successor project, Decoding Hate, at NYU's Center for the Study of Antisemitism. He also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Digital Hate Review.