In this article “Better Online Living through Content Moderation” the Author Melissa King is advocating and raising awareness for the increase of content settings, control features, and social moderation tools to make online and other multi-media programs more accommodating for certain users with specific conditions like PTSD for an example. “Some users may suffer from PTSD and need to avoid topics and people that trigger their anxiety. Others may simply understand the limits of their patience, and choose to make their online experience less irritating.” This accounts for evidence that serves as support for Melissa claim about implementing more control features so that it enables the user with more power over what they choose to entertain. In this passage Melissa King is diagnosing the problem to long term PTSD by giving us solutions that could decrease the amount an online aggressor or aggressors could cause another viewer to receive an anxiety attack.
Melissa feels that even though content control wont completely stop media abuse it’s a start. Users from all over the world consistently face constant cultural opposition and upon facing those opposition they could be viewed as insecure, low esteem or weak minded. In the first part of this article the author attacks designers, analyists, and the law makers of online networks and other sources of mass media by emphasizing not only the obliviousness of the agonizing pain and violence it promotes but Melissa furthermore elaborates on how this violence can corrupt future generations. Due to the advancement of computerized technology new forms of media has been rapidly increasing throughout the United States and as a result people are starting to view content control as less omnipotent. Even though Melissa King supports the prohibition of online abuse and harassment in an form or fashion, she concludes that this anxiety that people with PTSD suffer can be slowly alleviated through Exsposure Therapy.
“Exposure Therapy is a type of therapy designed to combat severe anxiety through gradual and controlled exposure to its source, to inure an individual to these triggers and lesson the disruptions they can cause.” Exposure Therapy is a habitual four step process that helps a person become intertwined with their senses so that they can have complete discipline over their traumatic thoughts, feelings or situations. People often criticize those who feels as if they’re being abused or harassed online by providing counter arguments like “they’re to emotional” and “they’re just over reacting” and perceives the online world just as a fantasy. Melissa thinks that not every “disagreement is a simple difference of opinion” and there are online aggressors that genuinely invoke anxiety attacks, or subject people to threats of violence in which people who suffer from PTSD cant regulate. Melissa believes that these people opposition to content control exemplifies the misconception in human psychology.
Melissa King feels that the “Blocklist” a regulatory content guide that prevent gamer gate tags, supremacists, and other bedevilment networks from intruding on your online account with defamatory or violent claim is the most effective form of content control and could be used to protest against those who oppose the increase of content tools. Melissa perceived these hate groups like TERF’s, Gamergate, and Supremacists as a scare tactic to keep people from rebelling and speaking the truth out against them in which she finds to be highly unconstitutional. Of course there are arguments that are anti of online content but the “most compelling arguments against blocklists come from people who do not harass or threaten other people, yet somehow see any defense by targets of harassment as being equal to the harassment itself.” Since the technology, online, and gamer industry are predominately male owned Melissa feels as if most of the online victims that suffer from this severe and chronic abuse are women.
Melissa King fears that this sever and chronic online abuse will eventually lead to PTSD. Content control tools is an easy one size fix all solution to accommodating people with PTSD or any or anxiety disorder for better online living. “When common tools like trigger or content warnings, block lists and “muting” features are casually disparaged, it demonstrates a lack of empathy for people who suffer from psychological trauma and need a method of defense other than disappearing from the internet.” Melissa believes that everyone should be entitled to their own personal boundaries in which she feel is best for them regardless of the other persons feelings. In this article the Author, Melissa King demonstrates the rhetoric of Better online living through content moderation by solving the problem of online abuse and harassment by offering numerous solutions such as therapy and other online content tools. Melissa concluded her observations and studies by informing the audience that anti content moderation will not only lead to societal complications but offers inadequate solutions to difficult problems.