Content Moderation In Digital World: Understanding The Importance

Content moderation is the process of reviewing the content posted by users online. In this article, we explore the benefits and importance of content moderation along with its types.

Social media has given people the freedom to express themselves. It has become easier for users to share whatever they want online. Whether it is posting content, commenting, or interacting with someone else’s post, people can stay connected to others. Thus, the need to moderate the content arises. To learn more about content moderation, its benefits, and its types, keep reading.

What is content moderation?

Content moderation involves monitoring user-generated content posted online. To comply with the official regulations of the platforms and to provide a nurturing environment for users, social media content moderation becomes necessary. If you are a business owner, maintaining a positive online reputation is also necessary to prevent your customers from reading derogatory remarks about you. This way, people belonging to different age groups will not be subjected to offensive or obscene content or abusive language.

Meanwhile, online content moderation can be done manually or through automation. It entirely depends on the amount of content and the seriousness of the content.

What are the benefits of content moderation?

It is very important to see what people have been saying about your brand. This leads to a decrease in the number of fake reviews and misinformation. Whether it is for personal or professional protection, some of the major benefits of content moderation that platforms should keep in mind are as follows;

Protects users

The foremost benefit of digital censorship is that it protects the users of a platform. Protection from illegal content, like child pornography and terrorist propaganda, is also part of content moderation. By taking action against it, you promote the importance of customer well-being.

Maintaining Brand Reputation

Inappropriate content can harm the brand’s reputation as well. Moreover, an impact on the company’s reputation would lead to a decline in the sales of their offerings. So, one should focus on maintaining customer loyalty and engagement and avoid negative publicity for a company.

Complying with Laws and Regulations

Content moderation allows companies to stay in alignment with all laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Further, it ensures that there is no harm to children or any other citizen. 

Improving User Experience

By following the algorithm moderation successfully, you can ensure a positive user experience for your customers. It creates a sense of safety and belonging among the users. This is the main factor behind the increased loyalty and engagement on any platform. Moreover, this can also improve the visual experience of users.

Do businesses need content moderation?

Businesses need to apply content filtering for better engagement. The top reasons why a business needs content moderation are as follows:

1. Content moderation ensures online protection.
2. Helps in monitoring user behavior.
3. Boosts website traffic and conversion rates.
4. It enhances brand visibility.
5. Improves customer engagement on social media.

Types of content moderation

Various types are used by individuals for the evaluation of content that is being posted online. Some of them are listed below.

1. Pre-moderation

Pre-moderation is a step where moderators need to evaluate the content before it is available to the public. The content should not breach any rule and should not be misinformed.

2. Post-moderation

As its name suggests, post-moderation means reviewing the content after it is published and made available for public viewing.

3. Reactive moderation

This implies that not only the platform moderator but also the platform users should determine whether the content is worth approving. Usually, a report button is also added to such posts, where users can select from numerous listed reasons why a post should be removed.

4. Distributed moderation

Distributed moderation is based on the feedback received by users. So, it means that rather than going through all the content manually, the algorithm pushes down the content that is being reported by users. It is later hidden or removed.

5. Automated moderation

As evident from its name, automated moderation utilizes automated filtering tools to do the job. It requires fewer people and takes less time to complete the job. Some ways that people leverage automated filtering are as follows:

1. By detecting banned words.
2. Through a system that works on a pre-existing set of guidelines.
3. Running the content through automated moderating tools.
4. By banning an IP.
5. Categorizing the content as flagged.

Final words

In essence, it is high time that content moderation is implemented on various platforms. In today’s scenario, where social media has given everyone the freedom to express whatever they want, certain things remain inappropriate. By flagging out such content, one can ensure a positive user experience and rapport on their platform. 

Related: Content Marketing Strategies: How to Create and Distribute Compelling Content