The Fact of Content Moderation; Or, Let’s Not Solve the Platforms’ Problems for Them

Abstract

Recent social science concerning the information technology industries has been driven by a sense of urgency around the problems social media platforms face. But it need not be our job to solve the problems these industries have created, at least not on the terms in which they offer them. When researchers are enlisted in solving the industry’s problems, we tend to repeat some of the missteps common to the study of technology and society.