Every moderation change has winners and losers, so each decision is political.
Evidence
So while breastfeeding advocates and the tech press applauded Facebook’s policy change, it is worth remembering that someone else’s values were disregarded at the same time. Some gained in this particular negotiation over visibility, but some also lost. When the moderation tactics are about deletion, suspension, and removal, and changes to the rules can render a whole category acceptable that was not before, every decision will be political; every decision will have winners and losers. — Tarleton Gillespie, Custodians of the Internet, 518
Categorization
- XREF: Links to the book’s standing claim that rules are signals; connects to the neutral/limited-speech tension in ch3 — users whose content is newly banned (e.g. those who reported breastfeeding photos) also lose. — connects to: Women’s self-display of bodies carries meanings beyond sexualized objectification. — Tarleton Gillespie, Custodians of the Internet: Platforms,…, 429; A public forms where transactions’ indirect consequences need managing — Tarleton Gillespie, Custodians of the Internet: Platforms,…, 633; Every political action serves some faction, even if not one’s own