Rochester Institute of Technology RIT Scholar Works Theses 5-2021 An Empirical Study of Offensive Language in Online Interactions Diptanu Sarkar
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.rit.edu/theses Recommended Citation Sarkar, Diptanu, "An Empirical Study of Offensive Language in Online Interactions" (2021). Thesis. Rochester Institute of Technology. Accessed from This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by RIT Scholar Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of RIT Scholar Works. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. An Empirical Study of Offensive Language in Online Interactions by Diptanu Sarkar A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Computer Science Department of Computer Science B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, New York May 2021 An Empirical Study of Offensive Language in Online Interactions by Diptanu Sarkar APPROVED BY SUPERVISING COMMITTEE: Dr. Marcos Zampieri, Chairperson Dr. Alexander G. Ororbia, Reader Dr. Christopher Homan, Observer Date ii An Empirical Study of Offensive Language in Online Interactions by Diptanu Sarkar Abstract In the past decade, usage of social media platforms has increased significantly. People use these platforms to connect with friends and family, share infor- mation, news and opinions. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter are often used to propagate offensive and hateful content online. The open nature and anonymity of the internet fuels aggressive and inflamed conversations. The companies and federal institutions are striving to make social media cleaner, welcoming and unbiased.