Academic Free Speech and Digital Voices
Overview
Although free speech is an ideal in Higher Education, it is seldom realised in practice. We support research into silencing in the Health Sciences for LCHF and other “controversial” topics. We also describe dissident scientists’ use of digital voice and their negotiation of digital visibility’s risks. To aid local postgrads’ access to digital platform data, we also support affordable data extraction.
Academic Free Speech
An important principle for an open scientific process, free speech supports the challenge of dogmatic knowledge through Questioning the Science™️. The scientific subjugation that Professor Tim Noakes and many other academic dissidents have confronted in challenging industry-friendly “science” spotlights the many severe obstacles for scholars in challenging orthodox views. In response, this focus builds on Prof’s legacy in highlighting the scientific suppression of epistemic knowledge that can support less expensive and more effective public health measures. Key publications on this topic from Prof Noakes and The Noakes Foundation’s Lab for Questioning the Science™ are:
Challenging Beliefs
Defines how Prof Noakes’ research has contributed key scientific concepts in sport that have not only redefined the way elite athletes and teams approach their professions, but challenged conventional global thinking in these areas.
Waterlogged
The Lore Of Nutrition
The Lore of Nutrition: Challenging conventional dietary beliefs Challenging conventional dietary beliefs | Describes the scientific suppression that Prof Noakes faced after shifting to advocating for a low-carb, healthy fat lifestyle, based on the insulin resistance model of chronic ill health.
Who is watching the World Health Organisation? ‘Post-truth’ moments beyond infodemic research
Who is watching the World Health Organisation? ‘Post-truth’ moments beyond infodemic research
During the COVID-19 event, the scientific contributions of many experts became silenced as part of an Infodemic’s “dis-, mis- or malinformation”. By contrast, this paper flags the threat of rushed guidance based on weak evidence from conflicted international health organisations perpetuating negative outcomes.
Promoting Vaccines in South Africa: Consensual or Non-Consensual Health Science Communication?
Promoting Vaccines in South Africa: Consensual or Non-Consensual Health Science Communication?
A blind spot exists in scholarship regarding the use of non-consensual persuasion techniques for promoting experimental treatments. This paper describes how deceptive messaging, incentivization and coercion meant that consent to take the COVID-19 vaccine was not fully informed, nor freely given. A hard case for pregnant South African women illustrates this major concern.
Digital Voices
Dissident experts confronting formal censorship are exercising free speech on less-restricted digital platforms. Pro-free speech arenas {such as Rumble, Substack, Telegram and X (formerly Twitter)}, afford scientists opportunities to challenge powerful funders’ official narratives for The Science™️’s. Our research explores how dissidents can use social media to work around scientific suppression of their controversial, but legitimate, ideas.
The value (or otherwise) of social media to the medical professional
Prof Noakes’ personal reflection explains how social media tools, such as Twitter, have enormous educational potential if used appropriately by scientists, students, and clinicians.
Noteworthy disparities with four CAQDAS tools
Helps address a research gap on the implications of differences in Qualitative data analysis software packages’ functionalities, and how such disparities can contribute to contrasting analytical opportunities.
A role for qualitative methods in researching Twitter data on a popular science article's communication
A role for qualitative methods in researching Twitter data on a popular science article’s communication
Explores how qualitative analysis can enhance science communication studies on microblogging articles. An interdisciplinary team applied mixed methods to better understand the promotion of an unorthodox but popular science article on Twitter over a 2-year period.
Digital Visibility Risks
Prominent academics who achieve influence online will confront new digital visibility risks. Our research highlights key examples, notably: academic mobbing, online academic bullying, and impersonation by fraudsters committing digital crimes via fake social media advertising.
Online Academic Bullying
Real food on trial: How the diet dictators tried to destroy a top scientist
A deep dive into the scourge of academic mobbing at top South African universities. Their academic bullies targeted Prof Noakes’ for his contrarian, but scientific, academic free speech on what constitutes healthy nutrition.
Distinguishing online academic bullying: identifying new forms of harassment in a dissenting Emeritus Professor’s case
Cyberbullying by higher education employees is a neglected phenomenon; despite the dangers it poses to academic free speech as well as other negative outcomes. This paper proposed a novel Online Academic Bullying Routine Activity Theory (OABRAT) framework for addressing the extreme cyber-harassment of an Emeritus Professor.
Digital Crime Education
Brandjacked for social media advert fraud: Microcelebrities experiences of digital crime in South Africa
This paper spotlights the cybervictimisation experiences of three South Africans celebrity influencers whose reputations were brandjacked for fake endorsements in social media adverts. An in-depth engagement is offered for their lived experiences as cybervictims of identity and brand fraud, plus the victimisation of followers scammed by fake endorsements.
Affordable Data Extraction for Postgrads Research
To support Cape Town’s post-graduate research pipeline with affordable data extraction, we were a founder sponsor of the Social Media and Internet Lab for Research (SMILR). It supports data extraction and cleaning for PhD projects focused on the Digital Humanities, and linked to our themes:
The Price of Fame on X: A Systematic Review of Social and Cultural Consequences of Cyberbullying of Celebrities on X
The Price of Fame on X: A Systematic Review of Social and Cultural Consequences of Cyberbullying of Celebrities on X
SMILR supported a PhD candidate whose systematic review examines the socio-cultural consequences of cyberbullying targeting celebrities on X. Her research grows awareness for cyberbullying’s socio-cultural dynamics on X, while offering new perspectives on how digital abuse affects public figures and spotlighting an urgent need for safer online spaces.
Help fund
Research into Digital Visibility Risks
Protecting South Africans from “petty” digital crimes
Help us fight for the dignity, security, and digital future of South Africa (SA)’s many unsupported cybervictims
SA is facing a fast-growing digital crime crisis that is quietly devastating ordinary people. Pensioners, rural families, small business owners, and financially stressed households are losing money, trust and security to scams that are often dismissed as minor or unavoidable. These crimes are not petty in their impact. For many victims, even a small financial loss is life-altering.
Digital platforms play a central role in this crisis. Scam advertisements posing as investment opportunities, job offers, health products or celebrity endorsements are routinely delivered to SA citizens via social media and search platforms. These scams are not random. They are precisely targeted using advertising algorithms that identify people who are more likely to be vulnerable. International investigations and recent court rulings have shown that major technology companies earn substantial revenue from high-risk advertising while failing to adequately protect users or support victims.
With your research funding, this project can educate more than 100,000 South Africans, train community educators as fraud prevention ambassadors, and produce policy-relevant reports. Its peer-reviewed research can also inform regulators, financial institutions and technology platforms. Funders will receive naming rights, acknowledgement across all public outputs and associa tion with a high-impact initiative that protects citizens, strengthens digital trust, and advances social justice.
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