Turn off the hate

Our Film tells the stories of people who experience massive hate on the internet: They are all confronted with hurtful messages that multiply at breakneck speed. The hate messages appear as handwritten notes that increasingly flood the room. This makes it clear that digital attacks are just as real as physical threats. Those affected try to defend themselves - they fold the notes into origami. A sign of counter-speech, an attempt to transform the news. But it is not enough. The messages become more and more, the space becomes narrower. The origin of this mechanism is a printing press that incessantly spits out hate and fake news - a metaphor for the way social media platforms work. But the protagonists take their fate into their own hands. They actively intervene in the system and change the algorithm. The machine begins to spread not only hate, but also positive messages. This change sends a strong visual signal: The mood changes, the room fills with colorful origami figures - a symbol of transformation and hope. "Turn off the hate" makes it clear that the architecture of social networks is malleable. What is reinforced is not set in stone - it can be changed. Platforms have a responsibility and can curb hate if they use the right mechanisms. Together, we have it in our hands.