For online brands, user-generated content (UGC) holds the power to elevate brand reputation through genuine feedback and support from real people. However, this freedom to create diverse content introduces a core dilemma: balancing freedom of expression and maintaining a safe online environment.
This is where moderating UGC becomes a full-time job. Through content moderation services, it’s possible to ensure that all UGC is appropriate and safe for all consumers without compromising their freedom.
So, why is content moderation important, and how does it actually work? Let’s answer these questions and more in this blog.
Importance of Freedom of Expression
In today’s digital landscape, consumers drive brand perception. When a user posts a negative review of a brand’s product or service, others will think twice before purchasing. This could result in fewer people supporting the business, but it could also be an opportunity for them to improve areas the user mentioned in their feedback.
Meanwhile, when someone posts a positive review along with creative content featuring the product, it could snowball to increased engagement and higher sales.
In this case, freedom of expression can yield both positive and negative results. However, this goes beyond brand perception. Free speech on online platforms can also empower marginalized voices and facilitate social movements.
When brands use their platforms for a greater cause, people respond positively, creating online communities built from democratic engagement. However, exercising this freedom comes with duties and responsibilities.
Regulating content becomes necessary when free speech is abused and utilized to spread hate and fake news but the potential risks of over-moderation may also arise. Censorship of information and stifled authentic discourse may result from the need to screen and remove content from various online channels.
With these pressing challenges, striking the balance between freedom and safety becomes increasingly paramount.
Understanding the Risks of Unmoderated UGC
While upholding free speech is vital, the lack of moderation can also yield unwanted results. Without a filter to separate acceptable from non-acceptable content, harmful online material can result in the following dangers:
Spread of Harmful Content
Unmoderated UGC produces a myriad of harmful content, such as hate speech, cyberbullying, harassment, pornography, violence, misinformation, extremist material, and illegal content.
Due to unrestricted speech online, vulnerable groups like people of color and LGBTQIA+ folks can experience even more discrimination and harassment from conservatives. Similarly, younger people can be more exposed to content with themes involving self-harm and violence, normalizing these activities. They also become easier targets of online predators.
Moreover, misinformation can become more rampant since no third party can verify the credibility of the content and its sources.
Poor Results of UGC Campaigns
Unmoderated UGC can also disrupt the results of a UGC campaign. Some users may be compelled to post fake content to ruin the brand’s integrity.
For instance, in 2012, McDonald’s launched the #McDStories campaign on Twitter to highlight positive customer experiences and stories related to their brand. Unfortunately, the campaign quickly took a negative turn due to unmoderated content.
The hashtag was quickly hijacked by users who shared negative and often scathing stories about their bad experiences with McDonald’s, including health concerns, poor customer service, and criticisms of their food quality.
McDonald’s failed to anticipate the potential for negative content and did not implement adequate moderation measures to filter or manage the incoming stories. This lack of control allowed the negative posts to dominate the hashtag.
Damaged Brand Credibility
Brand image can eventually suffer without proper UGC moderation methods. A popular example of this was Youtube’s Adpocalypse in 2017, wherein advertisements from major brands were found running alongside inappropriate content, including videos promoting hate speech, extremist ideologies, and other offensive material.
YouTube’s automated systems failed to identify and demonetize harmful content adequately. As a result, brands were inadvertently associated with videos that were entirely at odds with their values, causing YouTube to lose advertisers and creators and suffer financial repercussions.
Legal Issues
There are legal and regulatory risks associated with failing to adequately moderate UGC. For example, in 2018, Cambridge Analytica improperly accessed data from millions of Facebook users without their explicit consent. The data was harvested through a third-party app that collected information not only from users who took a personality quiz but also from their friends.
The gathered data was then used to create detailed voter profiles and target political ads, influencing major political events such as the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the Brexit referendum.
The scandal prompted investigations by regulatory bodies worldwide. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fined Facebook $5 billion for privacy violations, marking one of the largest fines ever imposed on a tech company. They also faced numerous lawsuits from users and shareholders.
Strategies for Balancing Free Speech and Effective Content Moderation
Balancing free speech and the need for effective user-generated content moderation is challenging but not impossible. Content moderation companies employ different approaches to ensure high-quality UGC and protect users from online threats.
Human Moderation
Human or manual moderation relies on the expertise of human moderators to identify harmful UGC and remove them from the platform.
While this method offers more contextual understanding, it is not an efficient and practical solution for large-scale regulation.
Automated Moderation
Automated moderation techniques, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, are becoming more popular for platforms that require scalable moderation solutions.
AI-based moderation is capable of handling large volumes of UGC in real time, ensuring user safety and effective content regulation. However, AI systems are still prone to bias and require continuous training to yield accurate results.
Hybrid Approach
A hybrid approach leveraging human moderators and AI systems is needed for fast and accurate moderation of large volumes of UGC across multiple platforms. Human moderators can overlook the automated process and provide better datasets to reduce bias in the system.
Striving for a Safe and Open Digital Space
Balancing freedom and safety in UGC moderation is crucial. Effective strategies like human and automated moderation, or a combination of both, help achieve this balance. Ongoing dialogue among platforms, users, and policymakers is essential to foster a healthier online environment while protecting freedom of expression and user safety.
