Portion of a figure from the Nature study depicting the transit of clusters of hate activity across and among platforms. An article from Eva Frederick in today's edition of Science gives some context and color commentary on a new study published in Nature that shows, among other things, how the circulation of cluster of online… Continue reading Science Magazine: “‘Dark pools’ of hate flourish online. Here are four controversial ways to fight them” – and my response
Tag: social media
First(?) Academic Job to Reference “Content Moderation” Appears at Michigan
Saving here as much for posterity as to share it, the following announcement for a position in Michigan's School of Information for the 2018-19 has appeared. Of particular interest to me, and likely to many readers, is the fact that the job as specifically mentions "content moderation" as an area of specialization. To my knowledge,… Continue reading First(?) Academic Job to Reference “Content Moderation” Appears at Michigan
Researching ICT Companies: A Field Guide for Civil Society Researchers (and everyone else!)
Interested in how to research ICTs, but finding it daunting? Nathalie Maréchal, of USC Annenberg and Ranking Digital Rights and I wrote this handy guide, with support from the Internet Policy Observatory - a fancy PDF version is now available! tl;dr: you don’t have to have insider status (and it may even be preferable not… Continue reading Researching ICT Companies: A Field Guide for Civil Society Researchers (and everyone else!)
New article: Digital detritus: ‘Error’ and the logic of opacity in social media content moderation
Announcing a new article on the politics of commercial content moderation: Digital detritus: 'Error' and the logic of opacity in social media content moderation. This article is part of a special issue of First Monday devoted to gender and digital labor, edited by Carolyn Elerding, Roopika Risam and Radhika Gajjala. The issue also features contributions from… Continue reading New article: Digital detritus: ‘Error’ and the logic of opacity in social media content moderation
CCM in the Atlantic connects phenomenon to key questions of democracy
I'm pleased to report that, after many, many months in the works, my article on commercial content moderation has appeared in the Atlantic today. The story has taken many forms over the past few months of work on it, and has undergone necessary evolutions in response to rapid developments in social media-related conversations, and public pushback… Continue reading CCM in the Atlantic connects phenomenon to key questions of democracy
What is content moderation? What is CCM?
I am frequently contacted by press and by colleagues who ask me to define commercial content moderation, or CCM. In order to do so, it is also necessary to discuss social media content moderation, more generally - all of which leads to a need to historicize these practices in the larger history of the Internet.… Continue reading What is content moderation? What is CCM?
Microsoft sued by Commercial Content Moderators (#CCM) in first-of-its-kind case
In a first-of-its kind case, a Washington state attorney has filed suit on behalf of two Microsoft employees who were exposed to disturbing and abhorrent content, all a part of the conditions of their work at Microsoft as commercial content moderators (CCM). According to the article reported in the McClatchy syndicate of newspapers, the two… Continue reading Microsoft sued by Commercial Content Moderators (#CCM) in first-of-its-kind case
Steven Salaita: The University of Illinois Is Not an Island
Dear Chancellor Wise: It is with shock and great sadness that I write to you today, upon learning that you have rescinded a faculty position for Dr. Steven Salaita, intended to begin in just days. I will keep my comments brief, as I have little doubt that you are receiving a number of communiqués related… Continue reading Steven Salaita: The University of Illinois Is Not an Island
Pix or It Didn’t Happen: It’s on You to Prove Your Abuse
I came across a disturbing case from the Languedoc region of France today, while perusing headlines on Salon.com. A 14 year-old girl who had been repeatedly victimized sexually by her father had reportedly caught the abuse by employing her computer's webcam. The key to the most disturbing aspects of this extremely upsetting story lies in… Continue reading Pix or It Didn’t Happen: It’s on You to Prove Your Abuse
Social Media’s Dirty Work: Contextualizing the Facebook Screening Controversy
In the past few days my inbox has seen an influx in forwards from friends and colleagues, all sharing links with me covering the recent revelation that Facebook outsources some of its dirtiest work, and that those firms handling Facebook's outsourced labor pay exploitatively low wages for some of the most psychologically damaging digital work… Continue reading Social Media’s Dirty Work: Contextualizing the Facebook Screening Controversy