ERC Project on Dark Nerd Communities Launched

Over the next five years, Thorsten Quandt and his team will investigate how previously harmless online communities within the so-called “technosphere” evolve into toxic environments. Using a combination of established qualitative and quantitative methods as well as advanced computational approaches, the project systematically analyzes structures and processes within digital subcultures such as the incel movement. The aim is to develop a solid scientific basis for intervention and prevention strategies.

The project is based at the Online Communication Lab (Department of Communication) at the University of Münster. The project team includes Dr. Felix Reer, Jana Johanna Klapproth, M. Saïd H. Unger, Hanna Vogel, and Philipp Moritz Völker.

Further information about the project is available on our project page. The European Research Council’s press release on the funding decision can be accessed here.