Better Online Living through Content Moderation
As the internet became more of a useful tool throughout the years, a new way of communication would emerge. Now, there are many social media sites used and it just creates fun and interesting ways for friends and families to connect with each other. However, whenever society seems to get something good, there always seems to be some type of negative outcome. With social media, cyberbullying and online abuse would increase and come in many different ways. However, according to Melissa King in her article, “Better Online Living through Content Moderation”, there is claim that this could be fixed through moderation of the content that is placed online but some people would disagree.
In the article, there seems to be a focus of people with PTSD. The writer believes that content online can cause these people to have a relapsed if they see something online. The writer says,” …nobody should be required to read or listen to content if they do not want to” (King). However, she explains that there are opposing views to this. Some people claim that online abuse can be blown out or proportion and that “the victim” should act less sensitive to these situations. However, King brings in psychological evidence saying, “Without controlled exposure, someone suffering from PTSD is likely to have their trauma magnified rather than reduced when faced with triggering content” (King). Another argument that people have if they disagree is that if someone is harassing people online it is only online and they are not a threat at all. However, King squashes this as she claims that this can cause PTSD because people become scared of the threat. Even if it is just words online they still carry hurtful meaning behind them.
Regardless of some of the disagreements, King mentions types of solutions that could work with content moderations. There is a thing called blocklist that blocks huge hate groups like Gamergate and white supremacists. However people do not believe that blocklist should be used. People believe that it blocks people from exposure of groups. They believe that people should learn about these groups so that they can get a better understanding of them. When it comes to social media, people can just block others from their social media pages. This allows hateful people to not to be able to look at someone’s page. However, King believes that this is not good enough. The writer believes that anyone who is in danger of online abuse should be able to set their own boundaries
With things like cyberbullying and online abuse, the internet sometimes can be used in a negative light. However, in this article by King, if we moderate what people are able to see the internet can be a safer environment for not only people with PTSD but everyone on the internet. Even though there are some disagreements about moderating the internet, King is able to shut them down and explain how with a better internet community there can be better people in our world.
Work Cited
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
Picture: https://prezi.com/7whku3hq5ofa/cyber-bullying/