Custodians of the Internet: Platforms, Content Moderation, and the Hidden Decisions That Shape Social Media

Tarleton Gillespie

Published by Yale University Press 2018

Custodians of the Internet

Platforms, Content Moderation, and the Hidden Decisions That Shape Social Media

Tarleton Gillespie

https://doi.org/10.12987/9780300235029

Overview
Contents

About this book

A revealing and gripping investigation into how social media platforms police what we post online—and the large societal impact of these decisions

Most users want their Twitter feed, Facebook page, and YouTube comments to be free of harassment and porn. Whether faced with “fake news” or livestreamed violence, “content moderators”—who censor or promote user†‘posted content—have never been more important. This is especially true when the tools that social media platforms use to curb trolling, ban hate speech, and censor pornography can also silence the speech you need to hear.

In this revealing and nuanced exploration, award†‘winning sociologist and cultural observer Tarleton Gillespie provides an overview of current social media practices and explains the underlying rationales for how, when, and why these policies are enforced. In doing so, Gillespie highlights that content moderation receives too little public scrutiny even as it is shapes social norms and creates consequences for public discourse, cultural production, and the fabric of society. Based on interviews with content moderators, creators, and consumers, this accessible, timely book is a must†‘read for anyone who’s ever clicked “like” or “retweet.”

Author information

Tarleton Gillespie is a principal researcher at Microsoft Research New England and an affiliated associate professor at Cornell University. He cofounded the blog Culture Digitally. His previous book is the award†‘winning Wired Shut: Copyright and the Shape of Digital Culture.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	v
CHAPTER 1. All Platforms Moderate Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
CHAPTER 2. The Myth of the Neutral Platform Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	24
CHAPTER 3. Community Guidelines, or the Sound of No Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	45
CHAPTER 4. Three Imperfect Solutions to the Problem of Scale Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	74
CHAPTER 5. The Human Labor of Moderation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	111
CHAPTER 6. Facebook, Breastfeeding, and Living in Suspension Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	141
CHAPTER 7. To Remove or to Filter Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	173
CHAPTER 8. What Platforms Are, and What They Should Be Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	197
NOTES Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	215
BIBLIOGRAPHY Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	253
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	275
INDEX Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	279

Language: English
Publisher: Yale University Press
Pages
- Main content: 288

eBook

Published: June 26, 2018
ISBN: 9780300235029