Digital content moderation is finally being recognised as an integral part of a company’s overall success - from social media presence (including brand campaigns), to customer relations, to overall brand vision and reputation. Because of its necessity, moderation has become a career path in itself; one can now complete online training programmes to become a certified moderator; and university degrees in Social Media, Marketing and Communication have coursework on moderation theory and practice.
With all of these positive advancements in the profession, recent studies have revealed that moderation is a high-stress, high-stakes role - one which requires intense resilience and emotional strength. Keeping our internet experience clean is tough work; which includes removal of content that we don’t want to think about, let alone experience. Moderators do this work all day, every day and the job doesn’t stop at removing ‘f-bombs’. We know the internet can bring out the worst in humanity, and moderators are the ones we rely on to diffuse arguments, monitor and report dangerous behaviour, and deal with those pesky ‘f-bombs’. In addition, moderators are also expected to keep calm and carry on.
Last year, both Facebook and Microsoft were sued by former moderators for not taking appropriate steps to ensure their emotional and mental well-being. While the images and content described in the lawsuit are extreme, and perhaps even rare for most communities, the fact remains that the job requires exposure to every form of negative and damaging content. This can result in compassion fatigue, emotional trauma, depression, and worse.
If history tells us anything, new policies on mental/emotional safety may become law, similar to what is already in place should an employee fall victim to physical harm while on the job.
What can you do?
As a leader, you genuinely want to do the right thing by your employees. Therefore, keeping them safe both physically, and mentally, is a top priority for you and your Human Resources department. Here are a few best practices to consider:
Remember - moderators and moderation as a profession should be valued throughout your organisation. This team not only protects your brand, but your customers as well. They deserve to be treated with the utmost respect and care so that they can deliver top quality performances for you, day in, and day out.