Fighting online harassment with good design

We know that harassment is a big problem online. In social media spaces, people face insults, threats, doxxing, and swatting. Women, in particular, face violent, gendered threats; often, it seems, for being activists, feminists, or even just having a strong opinion. You could argue the problem is the result of online anonymity, or a lack of personal morality.

Or you could argue that it's a problem of design.

Caroline Sinders is an interaction designer who studies digital culture. She recently gave a talk called Design for Consent. Caroline finds our online spaces lacking, compared to the fine-grained control we have in physical space.

Caroline tells us about her own experiences with online harassment, and explains how to redesign today's social media to improve privacy and help combat harassment.