BLUF
Most people will agree that social can be toxic—very toxic. But if you’re a social-media moderator, or ‘admin’, you can't just put your phone down and step away from the abuse—even if you find the abuse upsetting.Summary
This article by Nicolle White, writing for ABC-Australia, makes the following points about the challenges of moderating social media:
- A 2021 Australian Community Manager Survey found mental health and wellbeing was the leading challenge raised by respondents who moderate social media.
- Moderating content related to your own identity can put extra strain on moderators.
- Moderators can be exposed to threats of self-harm, racism, homophobia, and sexual and violent imagery.
- The challenges of moderating can be compounded when the moderator is working alone—which is often the case.
- There are calls to see social-media moderation—also known as community management—recognised as a legitimate and skilled vocation.
References
Recent Runway Posts related to this topic:
References from the Web:
- FEB 2021 Why content moderation costs billions and is so tricky for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others—CNBC
- JUN 2021 More Content Moderation Is Not Always Better—Wired
- NOV 2021 Government aims to push social media trolls out of the shadows, and force companies to be responsible for them—ABC Australia
Source Information:
- Article Source: ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
- Media Check: ABC News - Media Bias Fact Check (mediabiasfactcheck.com)
- LEARNING OUTCOMES—RUNWAY | The Runway (airforce.gov.au)
