What Teams Do: Exploring Volunteer Content Moderation Team Labor on Facebook

Abstract

Social media sites such as Facebook depend on tens of millions of volunteer moderators across the globe to facilitate platform-based discussion forums. While research has revealed much about the work that these moderators do, some fundamental questions remain. For example, why do volunteer moderators commonly work as teams rather than individuals? In this article, I use data gathered through digital ethnography with Facebook Group moderators to explore the benefits and challenges of moderation team work. I develop a three-part framework to articulate how teams facilitate logistical, discursive, and emotional labor. Finally, I argue that this empirical analysis reveals otherwise hidden and unacknowledged dimensions of volunteer moderation work that make platform-hosted discussion groups possible.