Elon Musk’s comments on his Twitter account have become a source of both constant fascination and fear for the public. His recent decision to release what he calls “Twitter files”, directly from his account and to the public, offer an insight into the raw and complex task of moderation, one that is both thankless and underappreciated.
The concept of online moderation is one that never ceases thanks to the ever-evolving nature of the internet and its associated technologies. Social media, in particular, has made difficult the job of moderators, and their work must often be done without recognition. There is no single ideal solution when it comes to moderation, and it’s a difficult balancing act between protecting the freedoms of users while still meeting the needs of a particular platform.
Musk’s ‘Twitter Files’ provide valuable insight into the thankless task of moderation. Initially, the files revealed a staggering amount of content from a variety of sources, from bots to trolls, to content that is never meant for public consumption. It’s clear that the content was monitored by a variety of different people who have different levels of expertise in a mixed bag of categories including mobile gaming, sports and news.
The files offer an opportunity to see what goes into moderating an account like Musk’s and the range of ideas, opinions and values that come with it. The raw nature of the files give a glimpse of the myriad of issues moderators face, and just how fleeting they can be. It’s a difficult and often thankless job, but it is necessary to keep users safe and platform respectable.
What Musk’s Twitter files show is that the work of moderating content is not only thankless, but also very complicated. Moderating a site with billions of users can be an impossible task, but it is necessary to keep the platform secure and ensure users are afforded rights, such as the right to free expression. With Musk’s files, we get a glimpse of some of the difficult tasks moderators face every day.
