Facebook’s power cannot be undermined in any part of the world. Pages, forums and ideas have been spread by the use of this social media site. It has 2 billion users that have to be moderated and governed by rules and guidelines to prevent issues such as violence, hate speech, terrorism, pornography, racism and even self-harm. The fact that Facebook grew too fast in such a short period of time meant that moderating it is already such a big challenge. They have had to get many moderators to be able manage the content that is shared out there.
One of the biggest challenges Facebook has faced has been the use of “revenge porn” this is basically the sharing of nude photos of someone to shame or embarrass them. While some posts are helpful when it comes to missing people, some simply promote violence and animal abuse. The Guardian published a small selection of slides from the moderation manuals that will shock you. In order to understand Facebook’s policies here are some of their guidelines.
It is a thin line where Facebook moderators feel the need to keep us safe but at the same time create awareness about certain things that may be disturbing. Facebook has consistently struggled to assess the news or “awareness” value of violent imagery. While the company recently faced harsh criticism for failing to remove videos of Robert Godwin being killed in the US and of a father killing his child in Thailand, the platform has also played an important role in disseminating videos of police killings and other government abuses.