Why Moderators Are the Secret Superheroes of the Internet
At Keywords Studios, we believe that moderators are the secret superheroes of the internet.
Like superheroes, moderators show up every day and help people in need — often without any recognition of the invaluable services they provide. Their role in making the internet a safer place couldn’t be more crucial.
With the launch of our new Trust & Safety Services, we are thrilled to honour those who protect players from abusive and harmful content.
Here are three reasons why moderators are so crucial to the wellbeing of online communities:
1. Extraordinary skills
Great moderators have a passion for bringing communities together and promoting positive interactions between players. They spend their time online building in-game communities and interacting with players.
They also review and take action on ser-generated content including text, images, video, and voice, based on the game’s unique community guidelines. Moderators must be closely familiar with these guidelines and how they affect community norms. They also possess broad cultural knowledge and are familiar with slang, dialects, and the ever-evolving language of the internet.
The Trust & Safety team at Keywords Studios focuses on empowering and encouraging moderators to cultivate skills in a wide range of areas. Learning and development opportunities cover everything from recognising personal bias when moderating to examining the cultural changes that affect how gamers interact.
2. Saving the day
Right now, moderators across the world are working tirelessly to keep the worst content out of online communities, protecting players from harm and saving lives in the process.
Sometimes, players will share stories about suicidal thoughts or abusive situations at home. Other times, players will even threaten to physically harm someone in real life.
When this happens, superheroes rise to the occasion and take action to protect players from harm. The superheroes on the Real-Life Threats team collect and organise reports of dangerous situations by fellow moderators and pass them along to local law enforcement.
Moderators take this responsibility seriously. They know that, just like superheroes, every decision they make, whether it’s removing an abusive comment, muting a bullying user or reporting a suicide threat so players get the help they need, affects a real human being.
3. Bravery in the face of challenges
Moderators show incredible bravery when dealing with harmful content. But being an online superhero can take its toll. After exposure to graphic content, moderators may feel like they need to take care of their mental health.
To support our brave moderators, the Trust & Safety team at Keywords Studios has taken the initiative to provide industry-leading, round-the-clock wellness and resilience support. This helps our superheroes cope with the challenges of their role and ensures they operate in a safe, healthy and thriving working environment.
With this program, moderators have access to personally tailored wellness programs, self-care resources, and training to help them stay healthy in the face of challenges.
We don’t just help moderators after they’ve seen shocking or upsetting content, we want to prevent them from seeing it in the first place. That’s why we’ve teamed up with technology partners across the industry to implement automated moderation technology as a first line of defense.
Moderators are the unsung heroes of the internet, who show up every day to help people in need and keep our communities safe and positive spaces. We’re proud to honour them by recognising their role in making the internet a safer place.
