Decolonizing Content Moderation: Does Uniform Global Community Standard Resemble Utopian Equality or Western Power Hegemony?

Title of the Paper

Decolonizing Content Moderation: A Reflection of Utopian Equality or a Continuation of Western Power Hegemony?

Bibliographic Information

• Field of Study: Social Media Content Moderation and Decolonization Research
• Keywords: Decolonization, Content Moderation, Care, Global South, Social Media, Western Hegemony, AI Bias, Global Standards, Algorithmic Transparency, User Experience

Research Background and Problem

• Challenges Identified by the Authors: Content moderation on social media platforms is often based on Western value systems, particularly the legal and cultural frameworks of the United States (e.g., the First Amendment). This approach neglects the socio-cultural differences of users from the Global South (e.g., Bangladesh). Such moderation systems may reinforce historical inequalities and cultural oppression, silencing minority voices.
• Significance: Users from the Global South account for the majority of social media growth, yet their needs and rights in content moderation are inadequately addressed. Unfair content moderation may further marginalize anti-colonial expressions and perpetuate digital colonialism.
• Motivation and Related Work: Current research and policy discussions on content moderation primarily focus on the experiences of Western users. There is a lack of studies examining the impact of content moderation on users from the Global South. This paper seeks to fill this research gap and rethink content moderation frameworks and practices through a decolonization lens.

Solution

• Proposed Approach: This study adopts a decolonization perspective by interviewing 19 Bangladeshi Facebook users to understand their experiences and coping strategies with content moderation on social media, and to propose recommendations for improving content moderation systems.
• Innovative Aspects of the Approach: Combining the theory of "care," the study explores how to build a more equitable content moderation system from three dimensions: ethics, labor, and impact. The concept of "decolonial care" emphasizes localization and cultural diversity, urging platforms to go beyond universal values and address the practical needs of different communities.
• Implementation Steps:
  1. Design semi-structured interviews to understand Bangladeshi users' experiences with content moderation;
  2. Use inductive thematic analysis to categorize user needs and opinions;
  3. Propose actionable recommendations for modifying content moderation infrastructure, including technical improvements, policy participation, and user education.

Research Findings

• Specific Findings:
  1. Identified colonial characteristics in content moderation, including power imbalances, a bias toward Western values, and disregard for historical and cultural diversity;
  2. Highlighted challenges faced by users, such as algorithmic language bias, policy ambiguity, lack of transparency in the appeals process, and absence of user feedback mechanisms;
  3. Proposed several decolonial content moderation recommendations, including:
     • Enhancing the accessibility of community standards by creating simplified guides in local languages;
     • Incorporating more human oversight in moderation processes and improving transparency;
     • Adopting restorative justice approaches, offering educational opportunities for first-time violators instead of direct punishment.
• Comparison with Existing Research:
  • Unlike most studies that focus on Western user experiences, this research provides a unique perspective on users from the Global South;
  • Offers concrete design and policy improvement measures rather than remaining at the level of theoretical discussion.
• Experimental or Evaluation Results:
  • User feedback revealed the injustices of the current system and expressed a demand for more transparent, fair, and culturally sensitive moderation systems.
  • Although the sample size was limited (19 participants), the study addressed the heterogeneity of global user experiences.
• Limitations and Future Directions:
  1. Participants were primarily male, urban residents, and highly educated individuals, which may not fully reflect the perspectives of all Bangladeshi users;
  2. The study focused solely on the Facebook platform; future research could expand to other social media platforms;
  3. Calls for further investigations and practical evaluations of content moderation involving multilingual and multi-regional users from the Global South.