# From the annals of things not fixing themselves: moderation at Facebook, Twitter et al **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 27, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626 "2014-10-27T02:47:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626/1 "2014-10-27T02:47:17Z")
Big social media companies hire moderators to scrub their websites of obscene pics, hateful content and all manner of trollery. How many? 1000? 5000? Try [well over 100,000](http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2014/10/social-networking-employs-more-people-we-think). Mostly in the third world, but some in the first. It sounds a lot less fun than on this board: [INDENT]“Everybody hits the wall, generally between three and five months,” says a former YouTube content moderator I’ll call Rob. “You just think, ‘Holy shit, what am I spending my day doing? This is awful.’” The worst was the gore… [/INDENT] Capsule summary: [Social Networking Employs More People Than We Think – Mother Jones](http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2014/10/social-networking-employs-more-people-we-think) Article: [The Laborers Who Keep Dick Pics and Beheadings Out of Your Facebook Feed | WIRED](http://www.wired.com/2014/10/content-moderation/) Some say this website does not need moderation. They say it would do just fine, like the rest of the internet. _Oh yes it does. Oh no it wouldn’t. And oh no it doesn’t._ Once again, thanks to the volunteer mods who corral the trolls and keep the spammers at bay. ---
**Author:** ![splatterpunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@splatterpunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/splatterpunk)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626/2 "2014-10-27T03:36:47Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Some say this website does not need moderation. They say it would do just fine, like the rest of the internet. Who says that? ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626/3 "2014-10-27T05:16:51Z")
> [@splatterpunk](#): > > Who says that? Not a straw man. Here was the exchange. > [@Clarification of "junior modding"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clarification-of-junior-modding/694703/28): > > Frankly sometimes I’m surprised you don’t throw up your hands and say “screw it, you knuckleheads are on your own” and let the board completely melt down. > [@Clarification of "junior modding"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clarification-of-junior-modding/694703/35): > > Really? That what you see as the outcome? There’s a whole big internet out there that gets by just fine without nannying, you should get out more. As I interpret it, the poster thought this forum would do just fine without moderation, and that furthermore this assessment was obvious. I opine that spam alone would inundate this board within a few days. And the OP demonstrates that the internet, like many conveniences, rests upon a foundation of mostly anonymous hard work. ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626/4 "2014-10-27T05:32:57Z")
Thank you, **Measure for Measure** , for posting a link to that _Wired_ article. It is certainly eye-opening. All I ever see here is the occasional spam or spam attack. I hope a moderator or two will post about their experience in this area when they get a chance. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626/5 "2014-10-27T11:30:35Z")
We get a fair amount of spam that sneaks past the screening. We usually catch it fairly quickly, but the mods aren’t on 24-7, we don’t have shifts for coverage, so it can take a wee while. We do rely, heavily, on people reporting such when they see it, so spam-removal is a co-operative effort among all of us, posters and mods alike. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626/6 "2014-10-27T11:53:43Z")
All I need to do is read the comments on any newspaper site, or especially Youtube, to realize how sane this place is thanks to the moderators. One Canadian newspaper site in particular wants to make me throw my laptop out the window every time I start to read the comments. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626/7 "2014-10-27T13:25:34Z")
Wow, **Leaffan**. they must be pretty bad if just thinking about them causes you to screw up the word order in your sentences. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626/8 "2014-10-27T13:52:58Z")
This is the biggest reason I’m opposed to enabling images and such. Heck, even avatars - which I don’t want to discuss - are open to that sort of abuse. Sure, they can be reported, but who needs the headache? ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626/9 "2014-10-27T16:08:52Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > This is the biggest reason I’m opposed to enabling images and such. Heck, even avatars - which I don’t want to discuss - are open to that sort of abuse. Sure, they can be reported, but who needs the headache? Think of all the times you’d have to clear your throat. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626/10 "2014-10-27T17:49:22Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Not a straw man. Here was the exchange. As I interpret it, … So, OK, one person. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626/11 "2014-10-27T19:00:32Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > Think of all the times you’d have to clear your throat. I think that’d be more ‘harrumphing’ or ‘blushing’ or ‘averts his eyes’ or something. But the principle is the same, really. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626/12 "2014-10-27T19:11:05Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > I think that’d be more ‘harrumphing’ Senior Moderator: We’re not getting enough harrumphs out of you! Junior Moderator: Sorry! Harrumph! Harrumph! Senior Moderator: You watch your ass. ETA: I endorse the modding here. I have enough chaos and madness in the rest of my life. This place is positively stable in comparison to all that. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626/13 "2014-10-27T19:26:53Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > So, OK, one person. Ok, that I will concede, and if anybody wants to argue that the original contention was ill-informed I’ll concede that as well. This thread should put that dead horse into the grave: just because twisting your faucet provides you with instant hot water, doesn’t mean that such amenities are not backed by hard work and hard engineering. Obvious? Sure, to most people. Still, I thought the article was noteworthy. You-tube et al strike me as having fairly lax moderation, but in aggregate they still require a gigantic 100,000+ workforce to curb the blatant trolls and spammers. Some of whom are paid $20 per hour - and do all they can to move on to another job. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626/14 "2014-10-27T21:37:54Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Junior Moderator: Sorry! Harrumph! Harrumph! Myyyyy PRECIOUS! ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626/15 "2014-10-27T22:28:09Z")
Even 4chan has a fairly substantial staff of moderators and janitors. _Fucking 4chan_. Yeah. Sites need admins. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626/16 "2014-10-27T22:28:56Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I have enough chaos and madness in the rest of my life. This place is positively stable in comparison to all that. Glad to hear this place isn’t as bad as working in a prison. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2014, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626/17 "2014-10-27T23:36:42Z")
Yo, some guy just shanked this other guy over in IMHO. Should I use the report post button or what? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626/18 "2014-10-28T00:21:49Z")
Depends. What’s the dude’s join date? ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/from-the-annals-of-things-not-fixing-themselves-moderation-at-facebook-twitter-et-al/702626/19 "2014-10-28T01:57:25Z")
Wouldn’t that count as junior modding? I thought only Mods were allowed to carry shanks.