Limiting the power mod reach is a good thing, but still, this will break Reddit. Ordinary users will not be lining up to step in as small time moderators. Especially if Reddit Inc is going to remove them if they do anything they don’t like.
Reddit Inc will just go “what the hell, we’ll throw more AI shit in the Automoderator. It’s not like it’ll do worse than the current arbitrary quagmire of moderation rules - or maybe it will be, who can tell the difference anyway”.
Killing super-mods would have been much more effective 5 years ago, back when there were still lots quality moderators in small subreddits. I remember people screaming for years this was a problem they needed to do something about.
However, during the last blackout (triggered by Reddit killing off 3rd party apps), Reddit removed hundreds (thousands?) of moderators who wouldn’t toe the party line. These people aren’t coming back and there aren’t quality people lined up behind them to donate their time. The mass moderator removal made the super-mod issues even worse.
“Worse” only being “less engagement in the next quarter.”
AI mods are probably pretty good in that respect. Random bans don’t really matter, they can stick to the party line, and letting a bit more controversial or ragebait disinformation through is a plus. In the short term.
Limiting the power mod reach is a good thing, but still, this will break Reddit. Ordinary users will not be lining up to step in as small time moderators. Especially if Reddit Inc is going to remove them if they do anything they don’t like.
Reddit Inc will just go “what the hell, we’ll throw more AI shit in the Automoderator. It’s not like it’ll do worse than the current arbitrary quagmire of moderation rules - or maybe it will be, who can tell the difference anyway”.
Killing super-mods would have been much more effective 5 years ago, back when there were still lots quality moderators in small subreddits. I remember people screaming for years this was a problem they needed to do something about.
However, during the last blackout (triggered by Reddit killing off 3rd party apps), Reddit removed hundreds (thousands?) of moderators who wouldn’t toe the party line. These people aren’t coming back and there aren’t quality people lined up behind them to donate their time. The mass moderator removal made the super-mod issues even worse.
“Worse” only being “less engagement in the next quarter.”
AI mods are probably pretty good in that respect. Random bans don’t really matter, they can stick to the party line, and letting a bit more controversial or ragebait disinformation through is a plus. In the short term.