User-generated content (UGC) includes several types of subject matter such as text, reviews, videos, and pictures. This content is created by the users rather than by a company or a brand itself. With the platforms growing, user-generated content is being created at an incredible pace.
It is providing a new source for the customers to interact with brands. With more and more creation of UGC, the need for content moderation outsourcing has become necessary. Content moderation is the process of moderating user-generated content and ensuring that it abides by the community guidelines.
Each platform has its own set of guidelines. For example, if a specific type of content is acceptable at a dating website, it won’t be necessarily acceptable for a gaming platform.
Generally, community standards include prohibitions of illegal behavior, which fall into radicalization, harassment, dangerous or fraud. Content moderators are responsible for updating the content and ensuring that it follows the platform’s guidelines.
3 Different Types of Content Moderation Methods
All companies and brands must invest their budget and time in availing of content moderation services. There are different methods of content moderation. Companies can choose their best method depending on their requirements and budgeting.
Let’s discuss some of the various types of content moderation services.
Content moderation can be human-based, AI-based, or a hybrid approach, i.e., human + AI. Let’s start with human-based content moderation services.
1. Human-Based Content Moderation
Human-Based content moderation can either be in-house content moderation service or crowdsourced moderation. Let’s discuss these two briefly.
In-House Content Moderation
In this type of content moderation service, content moderators are humans. Content moderators are responsible for showcasing the best reputation of the brand. They ensure that the brand is always seen in the best possible light. To achieve this goal, the content moderators spend hour after hour scanning the content.
· Pros
Having an in-house content moderator provides you complete control over your content moderation operation. Content moderators will work with you to update content guidelines and will be available to fulfill immediate needs.
· Cons
Having a full-time content moderator is costly. It’s also time-consuming because content moderators will require special training and supervision.
Crowdsourced Moderation
Crowdsourced moderation refers to the network of people in the form of an open call. These types of moderators aren’t specialists; rather, they are anonymous.
· Pros
These types of content moderators are real-time content moderators. The best thing about such content moderators is that they provide high-speed moderation services at a lower price.
· Cons
The drawback of hiring such content moderators is that they are not familiar with your distinct brand criteria. Hence, you cannot guarantee that crowdsourced moderators will be unbiased. So, this point must be considered while opting to go for such type of content moderators.
2. AI-Based Content Moderation
Another type of content moderation is AI-based content moderation. AI algorithms handle the immense task of finding and removing millions of posts that contain nudity, hate speech, drugs, offensive gestures, or weapons.
· Pros
AI moderates the content at a much faster and at a much-reduced cost than humans. AI is taught to detect certain words and patterns of the content. It can also learn to recognize profanity or other harmful content.
· Cons
AI cannot understand the context, which may result in the occasional flagging of harmless content. It may even fail to catch inappropriate content, resulting in which the accuracy might get compromised. False positives or false negatives do occur. AI trained even on millions of examples may still commit those mistakes which humans do not.
3. AI + Human (Hybrid Approach)
This type of content moderation service is implemented through both, i.e., AI and humans. AI is used to remove all kinds of objectionable content, such as pornography or hate symbols. At the same time, a team of humans reviews the content for more nuanced and brand criteria.
· Pros
This system is the most accurate, and it successfully prevents blatantly offensive brand-damaging content. In addition to that, this system also ensures that the featured images, text, and videos support your brand’s mission.
· Cons
This system is accurate but is far more expensive than all other content moderation services because it involves both, i.e., humans and AI.
