ABSTRACT
We describe the design of a video-conferencing platform for online deliberation that is self-moderating in the sense that it works without a human moderator. The platform includes an audio and video conferencing system and incorporates automated and user-assisted moderation, queues, nudges, speaker management, and agenda management. It can be configured to mirror the moderation practices of the Deliberative Polling framework (Fishkin, Luskin, and Jowell 2000), and has also been used in other deliberative settings. We evaluate the efficacy of our platform by analyzing surveys and metrics from a Japanese Deliberative Polling exercise conducted on this platform. We find that the online platform performs on par with an earlier in-person moderated deliberation on a very similar topic, overcoming both the need to convene in-person and the need to recruit and train effective human moderators. We present preliminary evidence that our platform leads to increased gender equity in participation compared to in-person deliberation, and also performs well on equitable participation across two other demographic factors commonly associated with privilege: income and education. Finally, we share some practical takeaways on how to effectively run a deliberative exercise through online video chat on a platform like ours.
