Blistering' Note Reveals Secret Travails of Facebook's Content Moderators

A Facebook content moderator (contracted through Accenture) quit their position in Austin, Texasbut also left a critical internal note which was later leaked by a senior tech reporter at BuzzFeed who described it as "blistering." SFGate also calls it "a harrowing account of what it's like to work as a Facebook content moderator."The message describes content moderation as a job that takes a significant toll mentally and physically and has led some coworkers to go on psychiatric medication for the first time or self-medicate with alcohol and drugs... "Content analysts are paid to look at the worst of humanity for eight hours a day..." The employee in question allegedly acknowledges that Facebook has made improvements to their wellness program, but still claims it to be inadequate, stating that managers view their employees' brains "as machines," rather than taking into account the consequences of workplace stress. But the note also points out that "Those who spend the most time in the queues have the least input as to policy... It can take months for issues to be addressed, if they are addressed at all..."Content analysts should be able to communicate directly with those responsible for designing policy... The fact that content analysts are hired by outside agencies makes these things impossible. There are no established avenues for communication with Facebook full-time employees, and we can face penalties if we attempt to contact them. The last line of the note offers this benediction for Facebook. "I hope you figure out a way to stop constantly starting PR fires and traumatize people en masse."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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