Full Citation

Title: Do Users Want Platform Moderation or Individual Control? Examining the Role of Third-Person Effects and Free Speech Support in Shaping Moderation Preferences

Citation Type: Miscellaneous

Publication Year: 2023

ISBN:

ISSN:

DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2301.02208

NSFID:

PMCID:

PMID:

Abstract: This study examines social media users' preferences for the use of platform-wide moderation in comparison to user-controlled, personalized moderation tools to regulate three categories of norm-violating content - hate speech, sexually explicit content, and violent content. Via a nationally representative survey of 984 US adults, we explore the influence of third-person effects and support for freedom of expression on this choice. We find that perceived negative effects on others negatively predict while free speech support positively predicts a preference for having personal moderation settings over platform-directed moderation for regulating each speech category. Our findings show that platform governance initiatives need to account for both actual and perceived media effects of norm-violating speech categories to increase user satisfaction. Our analysis suggests that users do not view personal moderation tools as an infringement on others' free speech but as a means to assert greater agency over their social media feeds.

Url: https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/2301/2301.02208.pdf

User Submitted?: No

Authors: Jhaver, Shagun; Zhang, Amy

Publisher: Cornell University

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Crime and Deviance

Countries: