Post Approvals in Online Communities (2205.03258v1)

Abstract: In many online communities, community leaders (i.e., moderators and administrators) can proactively filter undesired content by requiring posts to be approved before publication. But although many communities adopt post approvals, there has been little research on its impact on community behavior. Through a longitudinal analysis of 233,402 Facebook Groups, we examined 1) the factors that led to a community adopting post approvals and 2) how the setting shaped subsequent user activity and moderation in the group. We find that communities that adopted post approvals tended to do so following sudden increases in user activity (e.g., comments) and moderation (e.g., reported posts). This adoption of post approvals led to fewer but higher-quality posts. Though fewer posts were shared after adoption, not only did community members write more comments, use more reactions, and spend more time on the posts that were shared, they also reported these posts less. Further, post approvals did not significantly increase the average time leaders spent in the group, though groups that enabled the setting tended to appoint more leaders. Last, the impact of post approvals varied with both group size and how the setting was used, e.g.,, group size mediates whether leaders spent more or less time in the group following the adoption of the setting. Our findings suggest ways that proactive content moderation may be improved to better support online communities.

• The paper demonstrates that surges in user activity and reported posts trigger the adoption of post approvals, leading to improved content moderation.
• The study uses propensity score matching on 233,402 Facebook Groups to show that post approvals reduce post quantity while increasing content quality.
• The analysis reveals that effects vary with community size and moderator responsiveness, suggesting that customized moderation strategies are essential.

Overview of "Post Approvals in Online Communities"

The paper "Post Approvals in Online Communities," authored by Manoel Horta Ribeiro, Justin Cheng, and Robert West, provides an empirical analysis of the post approval feature in online communities, specifically Facebook Groups. The research seeks to understand the dynamics that lead to the adoption of post approvals and their subsequent effects on user interaction and moderation within these communities.

Key Findings and Methodology

The paper introduces a longitudinal analysis of a significant dataset comprising 233,402 Facebook Groups. The analysis distinguishes between groups that adopted post approvals (PA-ON) and those that did not make any changes to moderation settings (PA-OFF). The researchers focus on answering three primary research questions: the antecedents leading to the adoption of post approvals, its impact on user activity and community moderation, and how these impacts vary depending on community properties and usage settings.

1. Adoption Influencers:

The analysis suggests that communities are inclined to adopt post approvals following noticeable surges in user activity, such as an increase in comments and moderation activities like reported posts. A propensity score matching technique was utilized to create a comparative baseline to ensure that observed changes were not due to intrinsic differences between PA-ON and PA-OFF groups. The results indicate that these groups faced heightened activity, necessitating stricter moderation. Notably, a surge in moderation activity directly precedes the adoption of post approvals.

2. Effects on Community Dynamics:

Post adoption, communities with post approvals experienced fewer posts, but the quality of these posts improved as indicated by the increase in comments, reactions, and decreased reports per post. This suggests that post approvals enhance content quality and reduce posts that violate community guidelines, with a consistent decrease in reported posts even in diverse community settings.

3. Heterogeneity in Effects:

The paper further examines how different factors such as group size, the rate at which posts are approved, and response time for approvals moderate the impact of post approvals. Larger communities, faster responding leaders, and tighter approval rates enhance leader activity time and community interaction per post. Conversely, in smaller groups or those with slower response times, post approvals did not significantly influence leaders' time spent, indicating a nuanced interplay of community characteristics and moderation practices.

Implications and Future Directions

The paper provides significant insights into proactive content moderation in online communities and its implications on user engagement and community governance. The findings underscore the potential of post approval settings to cultivate a higher-quality user-generated content environment, which could inform modifications in moderation technologies and strategies.

The heterogeneity in the effects of post approvals suggests a need for customized moderation tactics according to community size and activity levels, positing that a one-size-fits-all approach may not be optimal. The understanding gained from the dynamic interactions between community size, approval strategies, and moderation time provides a ground for developing more sophisticated and adaptive moderation frameworks.

Future research could delve into individual user behaviors and the long-term effects of post approval settings on community evolution. Additionally, analyzing potential spillover effects among overlapping communities could yield further insights into the broader implications of post approvals.

The research methodology, particularly the use of propensity score matching combined with rich, large-scale data, provides a robust foundation for future explorations into moderation practices. Extending this analytical approach to other platforms with varied moderation capabilities could help broaden the understanding of proactive moderation strategies in different digital ecosystem contexts.

In conclusion, this paper offers a comprehensive analysis of the post approval mechanism within Facebook Groups with implications for improving moderation efficacy and community interaction in online settings. This work contributes to the ongoing discourse on designing better-governed online communities through effective and context-sensitive moderation strategies.