Research Collaborative: Co-Designing Research to Benefit Online Moderators

We’re excited to host an interdisciplinary, two day virtual event on August 31 – September 1, 2023 that will bring together industry researchers, academic researchers, civil society experts, and online moderators to collaborate on research questions and activities related to the psychological health and wellbeing of online moderators. 

While many research initiatives focusing on online moderator’s psychological health and wellbeing with moderators as the object of study, this event aims to center the experiences and expertise of content and community moderators, inviting online moderators to co-design research questions and activities. 

During the Collaborative, you’ll be able to:

  • Make new connections with others working in this space;
  • Gain a deeper understanding of the impacts of online moderation;
  • Substantively engage with others to develop research ideas, methodologies, and activities related to online moderation psychological health and wellbeing.

Participants will be asked to engage in asynchronous exercises before and during the event; synchronous sessions will be facilitated via Zoom and collaborative platforms (for example, Google Docs, Miro). During the synchronous sessions, time will be divided between panels, small breakout sessions for discussions, and co-design activities. 

Application Criteria

The 2023 Research Collaborative is free to attend, but will be limited to a maximum of 50 participants. Please apply to be part of the Collaborative if you’re:

  • An online moderator who engages in the daily tasks of frontline digital moderation either by virtue of your employment (for example, paid content moderator) or community involvement (for example, volunteer community moderator);
  • An academic or industry researcher whose research agenda focuses on the psychological health and wellbeing of moderators and/or moderators’ lived experiences;
  • A civil society expert with evidenced expertise and/or experience in working with/for online moderators.

Please note: This event is not open to policymakers, members of the press, and/or individuals who have not in the past and/or are not currently involved in research related to the topics listed above.

How to Apply

Please apply to participate. Completed applications will be reviewed by the programming committee comprised of TSF advisors, TSF team members, and T&S Research Coalition Steering Committee members. In addition to the criteria listed above, the programming committee will consider the overall composition of stakeholders involved in the Research Collaborative in an effort to prioritize representation and diversity of perspectives.

The application deadline is May 22, 2023 at 5pm PDT. Decision notifications will be communicated to applicants on or before June 15, 2023.

If you have any questions, please email contact@trustandsafetyfoundation.org.