How has technology exacerbated systems of oppression in the 21st century, and what can we do to resist? This event features a conversation with authors Matthew Williams and Lilia Giugni whose works examine different yet intersecting issues of human behaviour in the digital era.

Lilia Giugni’s book, The Thre@t, examines how communication technologies in today’s patriarchal digital capitalism are used to oppress, control, violate and exploit women. She explores how the digital world mirrors and amplifies sexism, misogyny, and social injustice already present in our society. However, she also argues that the digital revolution can offer unprecedented opportunities for women’s liberation. While clearly denouncing those who gain from the status quo and have so far failed to take action, The Thre@t also suggests a roadmap towards ‘taking back the tech’. From digital monopoly regulation to legal personnel training, from educational interventions to feminist initiatives in tech, we can and we must achieve digital justice for women and for all.

Matthew Williams’ book, The Science of Hate, draws on twenty years of pioneering research – as well as his own experience as a hate-crime victim. Are our brains wired to hate? Is social media to blame for an increase in hateful abuse? With hate on the rise, what can we do to turn the tide? Surveying human behaviour across the globe and reaching back through time, from our tribal ancestors in prehistory to artificial intelligence in the twenty-first century, The Science of Hate is a ground-breaking and surprising examination of the elusive ‘tipping point’ between prejudice and hate.

Speaker Biographies