ABSTRACT
This chapter seeks to elucidate the perspectives and lived realities of community moderators—volunteers who foster online communities and the culture, norms, and practices that govern those spaces. Three themes are explored here. First, why community moderators pursue their work and the key frameworks and principles they use to navigate their moderation practice. Second, how moderators collaborate and organize for their work, often in co-created peer support networks with touch points with platforms and other collaborators like academic, industry, and civil society organizations. Third, this chapter covers community moderator visions for the future of moderation, offering perspectives on the dynamic regulatory landscape and the emergence of AI in content moderation tools. Finally, key recommendations are offered on how to support community moderators, enhance their work, and create a better future for online communities as a whole.
