Research Collaborative: Co-Designing Research to Benefit Online Moderators

We’re excited to announce the (re)launch of our first ever Trust & Safety Foundation Research Collaborative!

The Research Collaborative will consist of a series of four virtual sessions held in late October and early November 2023. These sessions will bring together moderators, researchers, and civil society experts.

Qualifying participants include individuals 18 years of age or older who are:

  • Online moderators engaged in the daily tasks of frontline digital moderation either by virtue of their employment (for example, paid content moderators who work at a platform or for a BPO) or their community involvement (for example, volunteer community moderators who contribute to Wikipedia, Reddit, Discord, etc.);
  • Academic researchers whose research agendas focus on online moderation;
  • Industry researchers whose research agendas focus on online moderation and/or are employed by platforms that rely on frontline digital moderation performed by humans; 
  • Civil society experts with evidenced expertise and/or experience in working with/for online moderators.

This event is not intended for 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. Individuals who have past experience as a moderator but who do not currently meet the criteria listed above will not be considered. 

Why is TSF hosting the Collaborative?

  • To provide an opportunity for paid and unpaid moderators to meet with one another, share their expertise, experiences, and stories, and leverage their collective power to advocate for research that centers their needs;
  • To provide an opportunity for academic, industry, and civil society researchers who are working in this space to meet with one another, share their expertise and resources, and establish connections for potential informal or formal future collaborations;
  • To bring together paid and unpaid moderators, researchers, and civil society experts to have discussions about the kinds of research that moderators would like to see conducted about them and their work.

What’s the schedule of events?

Note: Invited participants will be asked to complete a brief survey ahead of the Collaborative.

Session 1: Moderators (Americas and EMEA)

Thursday, October 19, 2023 | 8:00 – 9:30 AM Pacific Time

Session 1 will be a 90 minute virtual invite-only meeting for paid and unpaid moderators who are located in the Americas and EMEA. The goals of Session 1 are:

  • To provide an opportunity for unpaid and paid moderators to connect with each other;
  • To identify shared areas of concerns and needs that could benefit from research and/or program development;
  • To establish norms for Session 4.

Session 2: Moderators (Americas and APAC)

Wednesday, October 25, 2023 | 5:00 – 6:30 PM Pacific Time

Session 2 will be a 90 minute virtual invite-only meeting for paid and unpaid moderators who are located in the Americas and APAC. The goals of Session 2 are the same as the goals of Session 1.

Session 3: Researchers & Civil Society Experts

Thursday, November 2, 2023 | 8:00 – 9:30 AM Pacific Time

Session 3 will be a 90 minute virtual invite-only meeting for researchers and civil society experts. The goals of Session 3 are:

  • To provide an opportunity for academic, industry, and civil society researchers who are working in this space to meet with one another, share their expertise and resources, and establish connections for potential informal or formal future collaborations;
  • To establish norms for Session 4.

Session 4: Moderators & Researchers & Civil Society Experts

TBD (time to be determined by participants in Sessions 1-3)

Session 4 will be a 90 minute virtual invite-only meeting for moderators, researchers, and civil society experts. The goals of Session 4 are:

  • To bring together paid and unpaid moderators, researchers, and civil society experts to have discussions about the kinds of research that moderators would like to see conducted about them and their work.

What are the deliverables or expected outcomes?

The Collaborative may produce a range of deliverables, depending on the stakeholder groups and individual participants involved and their wants and needs. Some possible deliverables could include: a collaboratively written article documenting the conversations that take place (under Chatham House Rule); a private, password protected list of shared contact information for future conversations and collaborations; and/or a private or public list of resources (including academic literature) related to the topic. Expected outcomes will be determined by the participants.

How do I participate?

If you’re interested in participating and meet the qualifications above, please email amanda@trustandsafetyfoundation.org. 

Note: As of September 2023, we’re actively recruiting moderators; we are not actively recruiting researchers or CSO experts as we already have a cohort of interested participants.