"I am not a YouTuber who can make whatever video I want. I have to keep appeasing algorithms": Bureaucracy of Creator Moderation on YouTube

Renkai Ma, Yubo Kou

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

Recent HCI studies have recognized an analogy between bureaucracy and algorithmic systems; given platformization of content creators, video sharing platforms like YouTube and TikTok practice creator moderation, i.e., an assemblage of algorithms that manage not only creators' content but also their income, visibility, identities, and more. However, it has not been fully understood as to how bureaucracy manifests in creator moderation. In this poster, we present an interview study with 28 YouTubers (i.e., video content creators) to analyze the bureaucracy of creator moderation from their moderation experiences. We found participants wrestled with bureaucracy as multiple obstructions in re-examining moderation decisions, coercion to appease different algorithms in creator moderation, and the platform's indifference to participants' labor. We discuss and contribute a conceptual understanding of how algorithmic and organizational bureaucracy intertwine in creator moderation, laying a solid ground for our future study.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationCSCW 2022 - Conference Companion Publication of the 2022 Computer Supported Cooperative Workand Social Computing
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
Pages8-13
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9781450391900
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 8 2022
Event25th ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing, CSCW 2022 - Virtual, Online, Taiwan, Province of China
Duration: Nov 8 2022Nov 22 2022

Publication series

NameProceedings of the ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, CSCW

Conference

Conference25th ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing, CSCW 2022
Country/TerritoryTaiwan, Province of China
CityVirtual, Online
Period11/8/2211/22/22

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Software
  • Computer Networks and Communications
  • Human-Computer Interaction

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