Volunteer Work: Mapping the Future of Moderation Research

Research on the governance of online communities often requires exchanges and interactions between researchers and moderators. While a growing body of work has studied commercial content moderation in the context of platform governance and policy enforcement, only a small number of studies have begun to explore the work of unpaid, volunteer community moderators who manage the millions of different subcommunities that exist on platforms. This workshop will create a pathway for future scholars to tackle the challenges and opportunities of research on volunteer community moderators and establish best practices for engaging with volunteer moderators without disrupting their work. Through lightning talks, collaborative brainstorming exercises, and small-group activities applying principles to research practice, workshop participants will bring together their diverse experiences and perspectives to map the future of moderation research. Both industry and academic researchers as well as experienced moderators will lead this one-day workshop that may accommodate up to 20 participants.