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Show HN: Moderator Mayhem, a game about the difficulties of content moderation

moderatormayhem.engine.is

11–20 of 128 posts

Re: Show HN: Moderator Mayhem, a game about the difficulties of content moderation

#11

This would be better if there was more moral/ethical depth. It also doesn't explore how content moderation policies shape discourse and how moderators often times abuse such policies to manipulate posts that fit their ideology.

Does Twitters community notes kind of fix moderation or could that also be manipulated?

Re: Show HN: Moderator Mayhem, a game about the difficulties of content moderation

#12
In the tutorial, the very first card I was presented with was reported for being "illegal", and the description was (from memory. I might not have it quite right)

"A post about the movie Cocaine Bear recommends doing cocaine while watching the movie and contains a photograph of a bag of white powder with the hashtag #cocaine"

That... seems like an obvious joke to me. And even if it's not, while "doing cocaine" is illegal, photographs of white powders are not, nor is suggesting that people do cocaine, nor is portraying them apparently doing so. We can know this is true because the producers and actors who worked on the film Cocaine Bear were not arrested.

Content moderation is hard, but I'm not very impressed that the very first card shown got it (in my opinion) totally wrong.

Re: Show HN: Moderator Mayhem, a game about the difficulties of content moderation

#13
Very interesting, got into level 6 then got a bit bored.

For eduction purpose would be cool to explain rules after the fact.

Small feedback: when there is an appeal, I'm not sure wether green means approving the appeal or stay with the initial decision.

Re: Show HN: Moderator Mayhem, a game about the difficulties of content moderation

#14

In the tutorial, the very first card I was presented with was reported for being "illegal", and the description was (from memory. I might not have it quite right) "A post about the movie Cocaine Bear recommends doing cocaine while watching the movie and contains a photograph of a bag of white powder with the hashtag #cocaine" That... seems like an obvious joke to me. And even if it's not, while "doing cocaine" is ill…

It’s not just about what’s legal, it’s whatever the boss says

Re: Show HN: Moderator Mayhem, a game about the difficulties of content moderation

#15
post #10
post #3

This is more like a game about shitty management communication. The rules are fairly arbitrary, and you're not told about any of them until you screw up, and even clear-cut cases like someone posting someone else's phone number are used to slap your wrist (apparently the second person consented, but nobody explains why that's your problem. Surely the second person can post their own phone number). Some advertisement…

"corporate apologetics" - This is pretty clearly about the actual experience of working as a front-line worker in content management. Percieved time pressure, edge cases, lack of context, juggling 100 different priorities.

It's hosted by Engine, a lobbying organization for startups, so it seems likely that they think it will show people that companies hosting user-generated content face a hard situation (and double-binds where whatever they do will anger people).

I was personally more convinced of the double-bind issue after playing: different groups of people (at every level) have different norms, the Internet helps bring them all in contact with each other, and I can see how that's a recipe for making them angry with each other and also with the intermediary.

Re: Show HN: Moderator Mayhem, a game about the difficulties of content moderation

#17

In the tutorial, the very first card I was presented with was reported for being "illegal", and the description was (from memory. I might not have it quite right) "A post about the movie Cocaine Bear recommends doing cocaine while watching the movie and contains a photograph of a bag of white powder with the hashtag #cocaine" That... seems like an obvious joke to me. And even if it's not, while "doing cocaine" is ill…

That’s the point though, right? Encouraging illegal activity may not itself be illegal but moderators aren’t arbiters of the law, they’re protecting the integrity of the website for the intended user base. If you want to allow people to encourage cocaine usage on your website, you have to be prepared to deal with law enforcement — because when someone follows the advice and dies with the website open on their computer, the website operators will get a call… — and not many people want to risk their entire company because “it’s legal to encourage people to take cocaine!”

Moderation is hard and that example is… the perfect example. User reports are rarely accurate but still valuable.

Re: Show HN: Moderator Mayhem, a game about the difficulties of content moderation

#18

This would be better if there was more moral/ethical depth. It also doesn't explore how content moderation policies shape discourse and how moderators often times abuse such policies to manipulate posts that fit their ideology.

Does Twitters community notes kind of fix moderation or could that also be manipulated?

Kind of both. Community notes and moderation are both emotional humans making the best decisions they can.

There is no “fix”. There’s no magic. It’s just us in here.

Re: Show HN: Moderator Mayhem, a game about the difficulties of content moderation

#19

This would be better if there was more moral/ethical depth. It also doesn't explore how content moderation policies shape discourse and how moderators often times abuse such policies to manipulate posts that fit their ideology.

Does Twitters community notes kind of fix moderation or could that also be manipulated?

Notes usually go too far in the other direction, for instance you will rarely see notes on mainstream politicians even when they are speaking objective falsehoods. This is because that system requires an agreement from people who usually disagree for a note to show up.

Re: Show HN: Moderator Mayhem, a game about the difficulties of content moderation

#20
post #3

This is more like a game about shitty management communication. The rules are fairly arbitrary, and you're not told about any of them until you screw up, and even clear-cut cases like someone posting someone else's phone number are used to slap your wrist (apparently the second person consented, but nobody explains why that's your problem. Surely the second person can post their own phone number). Some advertisement…

You should intern as a content moderator and create a game based on your real experience.
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