The Security Implications of Online Intergroup Contact

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This project will use a range of well-established psychology analysis techniques combined with novel analytical methods (machine learning, network analysis, text analysis, and others) to investigate the effects of online intergroup contact in natural settings, discover what conditions are necessary for positive outcomes, and test whether these conditions are being met by groups that have the potential to become security threats to society across the globe. I first aim to investigate the effect of intergroup interaction online between opposing political groups, and how this effects the extent of physical violence when these groups interact in the real world. Following this, I will investigate how the anonymity provided by internet applications affects groups dynamics, both within and between groups, before moving to investigate the effects of echo-chambering within the broader internet echo system and how this can be manipulated. Finally, I propose an experimental study of the effects of exposure to digital information and propaganda on implicit group associations in a range of individuals.The application of established psychological methods to address these emerging online questions is highly novel and has real potential to shed light on a range of currently poorly understood phenomena. This project comes under the EPSRC Cyber Security research theme and medical sciences