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Don’t Give Up

by GymDreams
How content moderation systems work, and what it means for you as a gay artist.
Don’t Give Up. How content moderation systems work, and what it means for you as a gay artist.

Lately, a lot of gay artists on Instagram have been dealing with their posts vanishing or getting taken down. I wrote this piece to explain how these systems are set up and suggest some tips on how to handle these situations.

As gay men, we have faced lifelong battles. The future may be challenging, but don’t lose hope.

A significant number of systems rely heavily on machine learning algorithms. However, these systems often suffer from bias and produce false positives. In order to cater to a larger user base, the user experience philosophy often favors allowing these systems to be more assertive, resulting in an increase in false positives. 1

The assumption made by UX designers is that if you believe you are not at fault, you will appeal. If the initial appeal fails, you are likely to go through the process of appealing to the Oversight Board.

The app assumes that innocent individuals will always defend themselves 2. If they don’t, the system considers its false positive detection as correct. If people choose not to fight back, the system becomes more aggressive and adjusts to new parameters to improve accuracy by making unclear assumptions about false positives as being accurate.

So don’t give up, especially if the content they removed appears to be illogical.

TL;DR Don’t hesitate to appeal if your content is removed - by doing so at the first warning, you not only help yourself but also support others in their fight against unjust content removal.

I understand that this is a significant concern affecting many individuals, and I am fully committed to addressing it. 3

I am actively exploring potential solutions, including engaging with platforms like Meta, to strike a balance between supporting the creative expression of the gay artist community while considering the goals of these platforms. 4

Please bear with me as implementing these changes may take some time.

Evidence Collection

Submit evidence (Google Form) to help with this fight. I am in the process of working with lawyers at the moment. To do this effectively, having representative evidences would be helpful.

Please submit images and write about your experiences. These images will only be used as part of internal discussion.

If there’s a need for us to contact you and be used as part of a case, I will reach out to you in the future.

Update

  • 2024-01-19: I contacted a personal friend who’s a highly experienced business litigation lawyer in January.
  • 2024-01-25: We’ve determined that my personal friend is not suitable to take this case, but I am working to identify the most suitable law firm to work with me about this.
  • 2024-02-24: I created a Google Form to collect relevant evidences.

Text as slides

Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist
Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist
Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist
Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist
Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist
Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist
Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist
Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist
Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist
Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist
Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist
Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist
Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist
Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist
Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist
Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist
Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist
Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist
Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist
Don’t Give Up: How content moderation systems work, and what it means to you as a gay artist

Don’t Give Up

Artworks, Gay Artists, and Content Moderation Policies at Instagram.

Footnotes

  1. Objectives for content moderation systems. The main goal of an app’s content moderation system is to quickly remove problematic content. This system is intentionally aggressive, as the harm, legal risks, and PR problems caused by unwanted content are much greater than any potential backlash from individual creators ↩
  2. UX Assumption. A fundamental assumption made by UX designers is that innocent individuals will always fight back. However, this assumption overlooks the fact that gay men have been fighting for equality throughout their lives. Due to the slow progress, many gay men and members of the LGBTQ+ community have decided to give up trying. ↩
  3. Resolution. I am researching the best solution for this issue, which is crucial for the well-being of the gay art community. Developing a moderation system that aligns with the goals of Meta and Instagram, while meeting the needs of the gay art community, may take some time and effort. ↩
  4. Why I’m doing this. As a gay man, I have dedicated my life to advocating for equal rights. I have experienced bullying and discrimination solely because of my sexual orientation. However, even within the gay community, I do not always feel fully accepted due to not belonging to the majority. It is crucial for everyone to have equal rights and representation, and for minority groups to be heard. I will not rest fighting for universal rights and equality for all until my last breath. ↩
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