Content generation evaluates user-generated content on online platforms that meets the predefined guidelines and standards of the organization in question. The content must also comply with government regulations and procedures available for online platforms; often, these guidelines differ from country to country. Different online platforms’ trust and safety departments identify threats and mitigate them to create a safe and friendly customer environment. In doing so, the firm in question protects its brand image and its customers from issues such as radicalization, discrimination, cyberbullying and misinformation. Sometimes, a firm might resort to subcontracting a safety consultancy firm as it has more experience, skilled personnel and the technology required to identify and mitigate threats that might pose a risk to the brand. ActiveFence is an example of a trust and safety consultancy firm that focuses on content moderation, identifying threats and using modern technology to mitigate these threats.
Types of content moderation
Automated Moderation
The amount of content posted daily, ranging from text-based comments, pictures, and videos, is quite substantial. It is the duty of the trust and safety department or consultancy firms dealing in the same to keep tabs on this content. This helps create a healthy and safe environment for users of this online platform. As the name suggests, automated moderation involves using computer systems that can conduct human tasks. This computer software operates like a loop- this means they moderate content with very little human intervention and do not take breaks, sleep or even rest. In most cases, the systems use complex AI algorithms to analyze user-generated content online and filter out unhealthy or unsafe content. Firms like ActiveFence manage their clients using these AI systems, making content moderation effective and easy.
Pre-moderation
Pre-moderation is the type of content moderation where the trust and safety team evaluates the user-generated content before it is uploaded online. The content is checked to remove semantic and syntax errors and filter out any content that does not comply with the guidelines of the online platforms and legal guidelines regarding online platforms. This technique is the ideal way of ensuring online safety as what a content moderator has approved is published online. However, it cannot be used in online platforms that deal with time-sensitive content as the user-generated content has to go through a queue to get checked by the moderator before it is posted online. This method is ideal for sites that are all about safety and security, such as platforms that focus on content that is all about children.
Post-moderation
This is the most commonly used type of content moderation. In this case, users are at liberty to post whatever they wish, but the content is added to the moderation queue. However, if concerns regarding the content get flagged, the moderators always remove the content immediately. In this type of moderation, AI algorithms are used; they scan the content for any words that they may deem unhealthy and remove them. If the entire content is considered sensitive, it is also taken down. AI takes very little time to evaluate the content, which makes it easy to shorten the time customers might be exposed to threats of harmful content. This method is not as effective and secure as pre-moderation but is still the most adopted method by many online platforms.
Reactive moderation
This is an inclusive method that depends on the reactions and comments of users regarding the user-generated content of other users. In this case, the users can identify any inappropriate content that goes against the guidelines of the online platform. Though this method is relatively cheap, it has several risks. There is always a risk of inappropriate content being online for too long and might impact other users negatively. Sometimes customers may take the inappropriate content as a reflection of the brand; this changes their attitude towards the brand. Combining it with another content moderation method, such as post moderation, is always advisable to improve this method’s effectiveness. This way, the AI algorithm can be apt to remove inappropriate content as soon as the users flag it.
No regulation
As the name suggests, there is no moderation of user-generated content. Consequently, the users are free to post whatever they wish, even if it is inappropriate or might threaten other users on the platform. In this case, community guidelines on content do not exist, and the brand reputation is always at risk. This method is rarely used, as controlling the users would be impossible. It is a legal requirement for any online platform to have guidelines on user-generated content uploaded on their media. Without the policies and content moderation, online platforms would not be safe, and people would be exposed to threats and issues such as radicalization, misinformation, cyberbullying and discrimination, among others.
