“Better Online Living through Content Moderation” by Melissa King talks about people who deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder unlike any other. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is commonly and mostly diagnosed towards war veterans. However studies have shown that you can get post traumatic stress disorder through a different approach, in other words through the power of online technology. Clinical Psychologist and Professor Caleb Lack stated that “Yes, you can ‘get’ PTSD  from Twitter” (Lack, Caleb)(6). Due to this fact many people have began judging others on how they choose to deal with online bullying and the causes that lead up to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. However King argues how content moderation controls the situation of online bullying and helps individuals cope with their problems of the online world.

King believes that content control helps better the lives of those on online media. By blocking hatred out of their life and relieving the tension they may have caused by the Post traumatic Stress Disorder. Many actually do not understand how words that are found online can cause someone so much grief and depression. King stands up for victims of online bullying by writing how severe and serious the situation truly is. With today’s generation people are finding themselves having problems one wouldn’t normally have if it were twenty years ago. The Millennials are finding themselves to be much different then other generations. King talks about how the millennials are more “open to difficult, complex, and emotional content.” This is due to the fact that they have evolved into a world where they can find out about certain things with just a click of a button. We have the sources to find out what’s going on in the world without anyone sugar coating it. However King argues that just because we notice what is going on does not mean we aren’t sensitive to the topics at hand. If anything because we are being exposed to harsh content we find ourselves suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Explicit content can however be blocked if the user wishes it to be. Block lists have been made for users to control what they want and don’t want to see. It’s easy for someone who hasn’t experienced bullying to judge and criticize someone who finds it necessary to block harsh content from their life. However these are usually not the people who are doing the harassing, but simply people who can’t relate to the problem. King’s opinion is to control the way one uses online sites to better accommodate them and their tolerance to stress, and anxiety.

Overall times are changing the way society functions, although face-to-face bullying has minimized, there are other forms of bullying taking place. King’s article fight’s for people who have to use block lists and believes online threats can indeed cause us to get Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Her opinion is that everyone reacts differently to different situations, therefore we should not be quick to criticize others in a way in which it’ll trigger them to have symptoms. Content control was put in place in order to help minimize hate attacks and we should be more prone to using it instead of criticizing the use of it.

Bibliography 

King, Melissa. “Better Online Living Through Content Moderation,” Model View Culture 28 (October 14, 2015). Web: https://modelviewculture.com/pieces/better-online-living-through-content-moderation.