Content moderation: why it is important in your social networks

Social networks have become a channel in which all types of users can share content, transmit values ​​and express opinions.. And it is precisely the latter that worries companies the most, since the opinions expressed by users regarding the image they have of it can be both positive and negative. For this reason it is very common to carry out content moderation.

What is content moderation on social networks?

The moderation of content on social networks consists of monitor, filter and control all content published by users on social media in order to protect other users and also the brand itself, thus avoiding the dissemination of material that may be offensive, inappropriate, illegal or harmful to one or both parties. This action can be carried out on any social network and can be concluded with the removal of the content that is considered not to comply with the regulations of the platform.

Content moderation is very necessary in social networks because they are spaces in which users have total freedom to publish the content they want.

How to develop content moderation on social networks

There are different ways to carry out content moderation on social networks. One of them is known as prior moderation and consists of review all types of content before it is published on the website. It is very useful to have full control over what is being published, since it prevents content that could harm the brand from appearing on the web, blog or social network.

Another option is the post-moderation, where content is published and placed in a moderation queue for review within the next few hours. This method has a certain drawback, and that is that inappropriate content could be published for a while on the website, just until the moderator detects it and proceeds to delete it.

In the event that as a brand you do not have the necessary means or resources to be able to carry out a manual moderation, you can opt for a reactive moderation, where the users themselves moderate the content of others through complaints. This option should not be confused with distributed moderation, which is another type of moderation that falls into the hands of users. In this case, it is the same users who can review and eliminate the content they consider inappropriate.

There is also the automated moderation, where human intervention is not necessary to moderate content. In this case, the content generated by users goes through various tools equipped with AI capable of detecting inappropriate words or phrases, nudity, blood and elements that may be offensive, hurtful or unpleasant to other users.

In any of the cases, the most important thing to be able to carry out a good content moderation on social networks is establish good policies and rules, train a good team of moderators and have good auto-discovery tools.

Why it is important to moderate your content on social networks

It is very important to moderate content on social networks if you want to carry out a good digital marketing strategy, since is a brand’s way of identifying urgent problems. Through the content of the users, any error can be identified within a publication made by the brand on the social network in question, as well as problems related to it or to any of its products or services.

Content moderation is also a way to protect the community and make them feel comfortable and safe speaking up.. This means that you should first and foremost avoid posting content that is hateful, uses discriminatory language, or poses a physical or verbal threat to another user or to the brand and your team. Furthermore, spam or scams should also be avoided.

This action also allows keep track of the brand image that is being projected to users. The more messages loaded with hate, discrimination and threats, the more the brand will be associated with that type of image. Negative messages about the brand, due to bad user experiences, can also give a bad perception of it.

Maintaining good content moderation can also be useful for keep under control the marketing of fake products or servicesas well as the correct dissemination of information that may directly or indirectly affect the company.

Human vs automated content moderation

One of the most frequent doubts is usually which is better, human or automated content moderation.

Through manual moderation, control based on a specific cultural, social and linguistic context can be carried out, making a much more specific assessment than what a software would do. Also, when moderators are human, they can more easily adapt to new trends and adjust to new forms of content, as well as assess the true intent behind a comment.

Automated moderation, meanwhile, allows you to analyze large amounts of content in a very short time, which is very useful for platforms with a high number of users and interactions. In addition, the tools that are used, usually equipped with AI, are capable of detecting patterns and inappropriate content based on words and phrases, but always in a completely objective way.

Both options have their pros and cons, since the manual one can be more accurate and subjective than the automated one, but it is not feasible to apply it on platforms with large amounts of daily content. On the other hand, the automated one can analyze large amounts of content quickly, but it lacks that more subjective part. This means that, whenever possible, combining both can be the most perfect option. In fact, there are companies in which the content goes through a first filter through tools and, later, the human part does a second filtering, thus making sure that everything goes through a fair and adequate review.