Incorporating Procedural Fairness in Flagging Mechanisms on Social Media Sites

HCC: Small: This research will “analyze expectations and interactions of social media platform users with flagging tools in each phase of the flagging lifecycle. Platforms offer flagging, a technical feature that empowers users to report inappropriate posts or bad actors, to reduce online harm, such as hate speech, nonconsensual sharing of sexual photos, etc. However, prior research shows that reporting harms can be experienced as secondary victimization, especially when victims perceive a lack of procedural justice.”

“Flags play a critical role in maintaining the feasibility of content moderation systems, an initial step to identifying content that requires careful review by moderators or automated tools. It is, therefore, vital to design flagging interfaces in ways that ease the negative experiences of reporting. To accomplish this goal, we must understand how users make sense of flagging, what information they seek, and how they navigate flagging interfaces.”

Commentary:
Not all NSF-related MDM grants went to technology development, as this half-million dollar grant to the Rutgers Communications Department shows. This award was terminated or ended year early on April 18, 2025 with $136,466 of $581,680 outlayed.

About the award

September 15, 2023 - April 18, 2025

Project information

Academia

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