[Commlist] CfP Content Moderation and Its Discontents

*Content Moderation and Its Discontents*

*An International Conference, St. Mary’s University (London, UK), 23 
June 2023 *

*Call for Papers*

In recent years, content moderation on social media has become a 
contested topic. As forms of online extremism, harassment and hate 
speech have increased on major platforms, community guidelines and 
AI-based detection and moderation policies have been introduced to 
tighten regulation, yet such plans often fall short or are actively 
circumvented, as Elon Musk’s efforts at undoing what he regards as 
excessive restriction of “free speech” on Twitter demonstrate for 
instance. Some spaces on the internet are also notorious for their lax 
or inexistent moderation policies, such as Reddit or 4chan. In times of 
culture wars, many have also claimed an erosion of free speech in a 
climate of “cancel culture” in which it has allegedly become impossible 
to share particular viewpoints or ideas. Equally many have disputed the 
very existence of cancel culture and have pointed out that many 
instances of deplatforming or cancellation are mere shifts in discourses 
whereby voices who have been marginalised are now claiming their 
rightful place on the discursive stage.

This conference takes the complex relationship between the facilitation 
and moderation of content and particularly of content that can broadly 
be labelled “problematic” as a starting point.Opinions among 
politicians, tech experts, academics and others differ in relation to 
what types of content should be flagged or removed by platforms or if 
too restrictive regulation constitutes censorship. A blanket ban on 
“problematic” online content is unrealistic and perhaps 
counterproductive. While illegal content or posts that constitute hate 
speech such as death threats should surely be removed, the question of 
content moderation becomes more complex when it comes to “problematic” 
content such as images of self-harm, “pro-Ana” communities or the open 
discussion of mental health problems like suicidality or depression.

This interdisciplinary conference invites papers that deal with the 
complexity of content moderation and associated topics from different 
perspectives.

We invite critical papers that can address but are not limited to:

-         The dynamics and functions of content moderation (flagging, up 
and downvoting, removing, etc.)
-         Content moderators, labour and trauma
-         Practices of in/visibility: shadow banning, soft blocking and 
other forms of disengagement
-         Self and collective regulation (e.g. in fora)
-         Content moderation, regulation and the law
-         Culture wars and cancel culture
-         Polarisation, filter bubbles and echo chambers
-         Problematic content and mental health communities
-         Shitstorms and online shaming
-         Psychodynamics of social media and platforms



This conference is organised by Jacob Johanssen (St. Mary’s University), 
Daniela Nadj (St. Mary’s University) and Susanne Benzel (Sigmund Freud 
Institute, University of Frankfurt) as part of the research project 
/Mapping Online Mental Illness Communities: History, Representation and 
Questions of Regulation/. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. It 
will be a hybrid event. In-person attendance is encouraged and virtual 
participation is possible.

Please submit an abstract of 250-500 words by *08 May* to the 
organisers: (jacob.johanssen /at/ stmarys.ac.uk), (daniela.nadj /at/ stmarys.ac.uk) 
and (benzel /at/ sigmund-freud-institut.de)
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