Diverting Hate
Diverting Hate is an applied research nonprofit disrupting digital radicalization by steering at-risk men away from violent misogyny and toward wellness and community support. Leveraging strategic digital marketing campaigns centered on safety, Diverting Hate has reached 30 million men online, engaged 274,000 through partner offerings, and connected over 1,000 men to direct mental health support.
The Problem
Social media platforms that rely on explosive narratives for engagement are amplifying the normalization of violence. The angriest voices are the loudest. When social media algorithms amplify misogynistic content, often acting as an entrypoint to darker parts of the internet, the very technology designed for connection causes division. Alarmingly, more than 40% of young men trust one or more misogynistic voices online. Young men are often radicalized through social media’s “manosphere” as a way to prove their masculinity and deal with feelings of “male failure” due to social or economic marginalization.
The Solution
Founded by researchers, advocates, and strategists who witnessed online radicalization firsthand, Diverting Hate uses evidence, empathy, and innovation to build healthier alternatives for boys and men. They reach young men and boys at a critical fork in their online experience with harmful misogynistic content, intervening quickly to promote positive psychosocial communities that support healthy pathways.
Diverting Hate’s solution is an applied research intervention combining technology, credible voices, and public health principles to replace exploitative narratives with ones that foster growth, belonging, and safety. Their model is grounded in the belief that if men have an opportunity to see healthier ways to spend their time, they will choose them. Diverting Hate operates across two complementary workstreams to shrink the cultural and digital space that enables misogyny:
1) Direct digital marketing campaigns: Diverting Hate runs targeted, paid digital ads to redirect users away from extreme content toward healthy alternatives. Leveraging a network of online and offline partners, they create digital campaigns to disseminate culturally relevant, prosocial content in native languages. Their content connects men to direct mental health support, practical ways to build community, and positive online creators.
2) Field research and insights: Diverting Hate uses their unique insights to shape policy and public dialogue, advocating for narrative and structural changes. Their research team uncovers the underlying factors fueling online toxicity, creating a feedback loop on where to target direct interventions (e.g., geographies, demographics, topics).
Impact
Reached 30 million men online across social media, engaging 274,000 through partner offerings, and connecting over 1,000 men to direct mental health support.
Advised members of Congress on online safeguards, violence, and misogyny prevention, as well as messaging and investment priorities through their field research and insights.
Leadership
Kaitlyn Tierney
Kaitlyn, co-founder and CEO, is a dedicated leader specializing in ethical technology and online extremism, with a focus on issues like gender-based violence, radicalization, and social media policy. With over 10 years of experience in business strategy, Kaitlyn has expertise in both quantitative and qualitative marketing research, designing and executing integrated marketing campaigns. She has also conducted extensive research on extremism at the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism (CTEC). She holds a B.A. in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master of Arts in International Policy Development, specializing in countering violent extremism, from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.