Echoes of Norms: Investigating Counterspeech Bots' Influence on Bystanders in Online Communities
This research addresses the problem of effectively moderating hate speech for online community managers by exploring non-repressive approaches, though it is incremental in focusing on bystander impact rather than introducing a new paradigm.
The study investigated how counterspeech bots influence bystanders in online communities, finding that bystanders generally viewed the bot as credible and normative, but its shallow reasoning limited persuasiveness, with subtle behavioral effects such as guiding participation or discouraging involvement depending on performance.
Counterspeech offers a non-repressive approach to moderate hate speech in online communities. Research has examined how counterspeech chatbots restrain hate speakers and support targets, but their impact on bystanders remains unclear. Therefore, we developed a counterspeech strategy framework and built \textit{Civilbot} for a mixed-method within-subjects study. Bystanders generally viewed Civilbot as credible and normative, though its shallow reasoning limited persuasiveness. Its behavioural effects were subtle: when performing well, it could guide participation or act as a stand-in; when performing poorly, it could discourage bystanders or motivate them to step in. Strategy proved critical: cognitive strategies that appeal to reason, especially when paired with a positive tone, were relatively effective, while mismatch of contexts and strategies could weaken impact. Based on these findings, we offer design insights for mobilizing bystanders and shaping online discourse, highlighting when to intervene and how to do so through reasoning-driven and context-aware strategies.