Moderation is the essential commodity platforms actually sell to users

Evidence

But in an even more fundamental way, content moderation is precisely what platforms offer. Anyone could make a website on which any user could post anything he pleased, without rules or guidelines. Such a website would, in all likelihood, quickly become a cesspool and then be discarded. But it would not be difficult, nor would it require skill or financial backing. To produce and sustain an appealing platform requires, among other things, moderation of some form. Moderation is hiding inside every promise social media platforms make to their users, from the earliest invitations to “join a thriving community” or “broadcast yourself,” to Mark Zuckerberg’s 2017 manifesto quoted at the start of this chapter. Every platform promises to offer something in contrast to something else—and as such, every platform promises moderation. — Tarleton Gillespie, Custodians of the Internet, 631

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Selective moderation fragments one platform into many divergent versions — Tarleton Gillespie, Custodians of the Internet: Platforms,…, 592; Facebook’s 2012 governance vote failed because only 0.038% participated — Tarleton Gillespie, Custodians of the Internet: Platforms,…, 638; Platforms hide moderation by overwhelming users with what is available. — Tarleton Gillespie, Custodians of the Internet: Platforms,…, 31