The Social Influencer project was the first Swiss project to be included in the Good Practice Collection of the Society for Media Education and Communication Culture (GMK). It shows how method-guided counter speech can have a constructive effect in digital spaces and how modern technologies such as artificial intelligence can help people respond positively to hate speech.
The project is based on the recognition that social work has skills that can also be used effectively in the digital space. In particular, conversation and communication are key tools for counteracting discrimination and exclusion from the digital public sphere. This approach is known as “counter speech.”
As part of Social Influencer, prospective social workers are trained to recognize aggressive speech patterns and respond to them with constructive counter-speech. They are supported by a browser extension developed in-house that helps identify and formulate counter speech. The aim is to reach silent readers in particular and promote a positive culture of discussion.
Learn more:
- More about the GMK’s collection of good practices
- More about the Social Influencer project
- Article “Professional options for action against hate speech”, sozialinfo.ch published on 08/21/25