{"id":75196,"date":"2024-12-12T02:13:36","date_gmt":"2024-12-12T07:13:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=75196"},"modified":"2024-12-12T02:13:36","modified_gmt":"2024-12-12T07:13:36","slug":"death-threats-phone-tapping-and-stalking-the-consequences-academics-can-face-from-sharing-their-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/death-threats-phone-tapping-and-stalking-the-consequences-academics-can-face-from-sharing-their-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Death threats, phone tapping and stalking: the consequences academics can face from sharing their research"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

When she passed her PhD viva, literature researcher Ally Louks posted a picture of herself and her thesis on X (formerly Twitter) in November 2024 (see post here<\/a>). The photo shared her thesis title<\/a>: \u201cOlfactory Ethics: The politics of smell in modern and contemporary prose\u201d. The post garnered over 11,000 responses, some deeply negative. Louks received\u00a0rape and death threats<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Academics in UK universities are increasingly encouraged to share their research with the public. This could be on social media, in media appearances, or by writing for non-academic outlets such as The Conversation.<\/p>\n

This work can be extremely valuable and can come with social and professional rewards. The institutions that offer funding for research often ask for a plan for \u201cimpact\u201d as part of the applications academics must submit. Having a public profile can have career benefits within a university: it may be considered when researchers seek promotion, for instance.<\/p>\n

Beyond the university, this work has the potential to make a positive impact on society, and to make academic research available to a much wider audience than might encounter it otherwise.<\/p>\n

However,\u00a0our research<\/a>\u00a0with UK academics who conduct public engagement work shows that this public access to academic expertise is under threat. For some researchers, fear of an abusive backlash now renders the cost of entry into public debate too high.<\/p>\n

The extent of abuse<\/strong><\/h4>\n

We have collected 85 survey responses and carried out 13 in-depth interviews with UK academics across disciplines in arts, humanities, health and environmental sciences. We found that 74% of the survey respondents said they had experienced online harms as a result of sharing research, whether in blog posts, traditional media \u2013 such as television and radio appearance and news articles \u2013 or social media.<\/p>\n

The academics told us they lacked training on how to deal with online abuse, harassment and misrepresentation. This left them in vulnerable circumstances and unsupported by universities and research organisations. One said: \u201cThey [universities] offer training in how to communicate \u2013 write, be interviewed, etc \u2013 but absolutely nothing on how to deal with the difficult stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the academics we spoke to had, like Louks, received rape and death threats. They had faced Twitter pile-ons, abusive mail and emails, hacking and doxxing (having identifying information about them made public). Some had experienced stalking and targeted harassment at their workplaces and around their homes. In many cases, the academics\u2019 workplaces had been contacted with calls for them to resign.<\/p>\n

One academic told us they had a folder in their email marked \u201chate mail\u201d. Another described their experience of the hostile tapping of their phone:<\/p>\n

I kept having to tell the police all the time about these threats, and my phone was tapped \u2026 That was really bad, because I couldn\u2019t seek support from my support network \u2026 not on my phone anyway.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Some described the abuse as a continuous, long-term problem \u2013 for example, the respondent who had been targeted \u201con a daily or weekly basis for years \u2026 It put me in a 24\/7 cycle of having to think about and respond to abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n

A further respondent talked about the strain that managing the abuse put them under: \u201cIt just takes all of your time and energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The effects of abuse<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Our research has found that this hate has a massive impact on victims. It takes a professional toll, because time spent managing abuse takes away from doing a job. But it also spills into their personal lives, health and wellbeing. The experiences reported by people in our study included hospitalisations, suicidal ideation, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).<\/p>\n

This led to some taking long-term sick leave, while others had to leave their job or move house. One academic said: \u201cI couldn\u2019t go walking on my own, because of \u2026 all the threats.\u201d<\/p>\n

These are not just harms that stay in the workplace, but are severely affecting researchers\u2019 everyday lives.<\/p>\n

Lack of support<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Many of our respondents said they felt their institutions were more interested in protecting their reputations than providing adequate support or defending their academics who were subject to this toxic media coverage and abuse.<\/p>\n

Safety issues rarely come up when the value of engagement or research impact is discussed. These discussions tend to focus only on an academic\u2019s role in service of society, without recognition that they exist within and as part of the same society.<\/p>\n

Impact and engagement activities aren\u2019t simply projects that academics complete and move on from \u2013 they may have ramifications that last for years and spill over from professional into personal lives.<\/p>\n

We are\u00a0developing training and guidance<\/a>\u00a0for organisations to provide better support for academics in the public eye. Universities and higher education leaders\u00a0have a responsibility<\/a>\u00a0to ensure the safety of their employees, and more must be done to provide institutional support for those who are subject to digital hate.<\/p>\n

Author Bios:<\/strong> Hannah Yelin is a Reader in Media and Culture at Oxford Brookes University and Laura Clancy is a Lecturer in Media at Lancaster University<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When she passed her PhD viva, literature researcher Ally Louks posted a picture of herself and her thesis on X (formerly Twitter) in November 2024 (see post here). The photo shared her thesis title: \u201cOlfactory Ethics: The politics of smell in modern and contemporary prose\u201d. The post garnered over 11,000 responses, some deeply negative. Louks […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[86115],"tags":[435193],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-75196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-research","tag-research-publication"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDeath threats, phone tapping and stalking: the consequences academics can face from sharing their research - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/death-threats-phone-tapping-and-stalking-the-consequences-academics-can-face-from-sharing-their-research\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Death threats, phone tapping and stalking: the consequences academics can face from sharing their research - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When she passed her PhD viva, literature researcher Ally Louks posted a picture of herself and her thesis on X (formerly Twitter) in November 2024 (see post here). 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