Beyond Binary: Prototyping Multi-Outcome Content Moderation and Social Learning Tools

Flynn et al. (2025) argue for moving past binary retain/remove decisions towards context- and outcome-specific moderation. Yet, most platforms still default to blunt, punitive actions that can silence or alienate users—especially those from marginalized backgrounds. This research would prototype and test alternative moderation outcomes: for example, “soft warnings,” prompts for self-reflection, educational nudges, or opportunities for mediated dialog between users. Drawing on social learning theories and restorative justice, and leveraging tools like structured checklists or feedback diagrams (Shi, 2024), the project would measure impacts on user experience, perceived fairness, and long-term community health. This diverges from existing work by focusing on positive transformation, not just harm mitigation, and could fundamentally shift the goals and practices of online governance.

References:

1. Content Moderation and Community Standards: The Disconnect Between Policy and User Experiences Reporting Harmful and Offensive Content on Social Media. Asher Flynn, Z. Vakhitova, Lisa J. Wheildon, Bridget Harris, Brady Robards (2025). Policy & Internet.
2. A Bibliometric Analysis of Eye Tracking in User Experience Research. Yang Shi (2024). Interacción.