CAREER: Toward Equitable Social Media Content Moderation for Marginalized Individuals and Communities

这项研究探讨了在线平台禁止用户和内容的原因和后果，这些用户和内容实际上并不违反网站政策，或者在网站政策和社区规范方面陷入灰色地带。它将实现：（1）描述人们被禁止或从社交媒体网站删除内容的原因的类型和普遍性，这些与系统性偏见的关系以及这些做法的影响。(2)深入描述被边缘化的在线社区为解决适度造成的不平等而制定的流程和支持结构。(3)一种结合定性和计算的技术方法，根据社区规范和不断变化的网站政策，更准确地划分应该和不应该被禁止的社交媒体内容。(4)为上下文感知的内容审核系统设计建议，该系统平衡社区需求，规范和价值观与平台要求，并可在社交媒体网站上应用。(5)围绕当前在线内容审核方面的不平等现象以及如何通过承认和尊重边缘化在线社区的需求来更公平地实现审核目标的理论见解。将进行以下研究：1）与边缘化人群的访谈，他们的内容或帐户被从社交媒体网站上删除，即使符合网站政策或落入灰色地带; 2）三个边缘化在线社区的虚拟民族志，他们经常成为用户禁令和内容删除的目标。3)使用参与式设计和焦点小组方法，以确定如何建立一个可以在社交媒体网站上应用的上下文感知内容审核系统。4)在线实施这一社会技术系统，并进行评估，以了解用户认为该系统公平的程度以及该系统在多大程度上满足了他们的需求。此外，一个数字素养在线资源将有助于教育人们有关内容和帐户删除以及如何重新获得网站访问权，研究结果将教育社交媒体平台有关边缘化人群在内容审核方面面临的挑战。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This research examines the causes and consequences of online platforms banning users and content that do not actually violate site policies, or fall into gray areas with respect to site policies and community norms. It will achieve: (1) A characterization of the types and prevalence of reasons people are banned or have content removed from social media sites, how these relate to systemic biases, and the implications of these practices. (2) An in-depth description of processes and support structures marginalized online communities enact to address inequities resulting from moderation. (3) A combined qualitative and computational technical approach that more accurately delineates between social media content that should and should not have been banned, according to community norms and shifting site policies. (4) Design recommendations for a context-aware content moderation system that balances community needs, norms, and values with platform requirements and can be applied across social media sites. (5) Theoretical insights around current inequities in online content moderation and how moderation goals can be achieved more equitably by recognizing and respecting marginalized online communities’ needs. The following studies will be conducted: 1) Interviews with marginalized people whose content or account was removed from a social media site even though in line with site policies or falling into a gray area; 2) A virtual ethnography in three marginalized online communities who are frequent targets of user bans and content takedowns. 3) Use of participatory design and focus group methods to determine how to build a context-aware content moderation system that can be applied across social media sites. 4) Implementation of this sociotechnical system online, and evaluation to understand the extent to which users consider it equitable and how well it meets their needs. In addition, a digital literacy online resource will help educate people about content and account removals and how to regain site access, and the results of the research will educate social media platforms about challenges marginalized populations face around content moderation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.