4 ms·

At what point does the constant desire to 'moderate content' become a personality disorder?

kelseyfrog 4y ago
If anything the psychological reactance to moderation is a disorder. Specifically it would be categorized as an externalizing disorder in the likes of ODD, CD, and ASP.
- tidenly 4y ago
  No-one is talking about proper moderation in moderation, I assume the reply was meaning people like Discord and Reddit mods who are often irregular people who overstep what is needed from them. It reminds me of American cops and Politicians - I think a certain kind of weird personality is driven just to get any taste of power they can exercise on people. Being opposed to people like that isn't ODD. Its also something I think will be a problem in selling Mastodon - it's easier to justify a strict dictatorship in a small community when other choices are available, "just go somewhere else then?", than it is on big social media platforms where the expectation (at least in theory) is that they'll be somewhat balanced and impartial. No expects impartiality from a discord mod.
- 35amxn35 4y ago
  No, it's definitely the other way around. Some people enjoy the power trip of censoring someone they disagree with. The perfect system of rules for moderation would be one you'd comfortably handle out to your ideological adversaries to enforce. If the outcome is still unfair, there's something wrong with the rules. Something like "I cut, you choose".
  - kelseyfrog 4y ago
    I don't disagree that this type of moderator exists. I've left spaces because of this type of moderator. And I have no issue with your other points, but we're talking about different things. I've also noticed that there's a group of people who absolutely hate to be told what to do. They have an innate psychological reactance toward it. It shows up in defiance to regulation, paying taxes, and yes even the idea that their internet posts could be moderated. It's a strange attractor in personality-space and they are very effective at using the mechanisms of social construction to pass their ideas off as the natural order.
    - eurasiantiger 4y ago
      All the things you mention are mechanisms of social construction, not natural order.
    - 35amxn35 4y ago
      It's more like "a group of people who absolutely hate to be told what to do by people they completely disagree with/have nothing in common with*". It's not a pyschological disorder, as it has to do with survival. Lack of defiance is probably a psychological disorder. Historically, those tensions were resolved with wars/civil wars/insurgents/civil unrest.
      - kelseyfrog 4y ago
        It's definitely a reactance trait. These folks become hostile and antisocial when asked to play by the rules. Keep an eye out for it - it's much more common than you think.
anecdotal1 4y ago
What these people really want is a curated forum so they can browse the threads that interest them and they don't have to see any posts in a thread about a topic that triggers them. It is fundamentally incompatible with the desire to consume social media in an infinite timeline style...
smackeyacky 4y ago
It would be nice if all people were capable of moderating their own responses, but pretty clearly they cannot.
alldayeveryday 4y ago
And specifically to moderate only those things that challenge one's political biases. Its always so drenched in hypocrisy.

If anything the psychological reactance to moderation is a disorder. Specifically it would be categorized as an externalizing disorder in the likes of ODD, CD, and ASP.

tidenly 4y ago
No-one is talking about proper moderation in moderation, I assume the reply was meaning people like Discord and Reddit mods who are often irregular people who overstep what is needed from them. It reminds me of American cops and Politicians - I think a certain kind of weird personality is driven just to get any taste of power they can exercise on people. Being opposed to people like that isn't ODD. Its also something I think will be a problem in selling Mastodon - it's easier to justify a strict dictatorship in a small community when other choices are available, "just go somewhere else then?", than it is on big social media platforms where the expectation (at least in theory) is that they'll be somewhat balanced and impartial. No expects impartiality from a discord mod.
35amxn35 4y ago
No, it's definitely the other way around. Some people enjoy the power trip of censoring someone they disagree with. The perfect system of rules for moderation would be one you'd comfortably handle out to your ideological adversaries to enforce. If the outcome is still unfair, there's something wrong with the rules. Something like "I cut, you choose".
- kelseyfrog 4y ago
  I don't disagree that this type of moderator exists. I've left spaces because of this type of moderator. And I have no issue with your other points, but we're talking about different things. I've also noticed that there's a group of people who absolutely hate to be told what to do. They have an innate psychological reactance toward it. It shows up in defiance to regulation, paying taxes, and yes even the idea that their internet posts could be moderated. It's a strange attractor in personality-space and they are very effective at using the mechanisms of social construction to pass their ideas off as the natural order.
  - eurasiantiger 4y ago
    All the things you mention are mechanisms of social construction, not natural order.
  - 35amxn35 4y ago
    It's more like "a group of people who absolutely hate to be told what to do by people they completely disagree with/have nothing in common with*". It's not a pyschological disorder, as it has to do with survival. Lack of defiance is probably a psychological disorder. Historically, those tensions were resolved with wars/civil wars/insurgents/civil unrest.
    - kelseyfrog 4y ago
      It's definitely a reactance trait. These folks become hostile and antisocial when asked to play by the rules. Keep an eye out for it - it's much more common than you think.

anecdotal1 4y ago

What these people really want is a curated forum so they can browse the threads that interest them and they don't have to see any posts in a thread about a topic that triggers them. It is fundamentally incompatible with the desire to consume social media in an infinite timeline style...

smackeyacky 4y ago

It would be nice if all people were capable of moderating their own responses, but pretty clearly they cannot.

alldayeveryday 4y ago

And specifically to moderate only those things that challenge one's political biases. Its always so drenched in hypocrisy.