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Beyond Takedowns: How Moderation Shapes What Gets Created

Author

Listed:
  • Ying Bao
  • Jessie Liu

Abstract

Key Messages:Moderation changes what gets created, not just what gets removed or seen: creators anticipate rules and adjust behavior – so outcomes depend on incentives, not only takedownsNeutral moderation may not have neutral effects: stricter toxicity controls encourage the ideological majority while silencing the minorityAverage wins can hide widening gaps: platform-wide positive engagement may improve while minority readers and creators fall behindDetection, flagging, and appeals must distinguish toxicity from disagreement and avoid mislabeling civil, cross-cutting speech

Suggested Citation

  • Ying Bao & Jessie Liu, 2025. "Beyond Takedowns: How Moderation Shapes What Gets Created," EconPol Forum, CESifo, vol. 26(04), pages 47-51, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:epofor:v:26:y:2025:i:04:p:47-51
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    File URL: https://www.ifo.de/DocDL/econpol-forum-4-2025-bao-etal-takedowns.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Beknazar-Yuzbashev, George & Jiménez-Durán, Rafael & McCrosky, Jesse & Stalinski, Mateusz, 2025. "Toxic Content and User Engagement on Social Media : Evidence from a Field Experiment," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 1543, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
    2. Karsten Müller & Carlo Schwarz, 2023. "From Hashtag to Hate Crime: Twitter and Antiminority Sentiment," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 15(3), pages 270-312, July.
    3. Jiménez Durán, Rafael & Müller, Karsten & Schwarz, Carlo, 2022. "The Effect of Content Moderation on Online and Offline Hate: Evidence from Germany's NetzDG," CEPR Discussion Papers 17554, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. Beknazar-Yuzbashev, George & Jiménez Durán, Rafael & McCrosky, Jesse & Stalinski, Mateusz, 2025. "Toxic content and user engagement on social media: Evidence from a field experiment," Working Papers 359, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, George J. Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State.
    5. George Beknazar-Yuzbashev & Rafael Jiménez-Durán & Jesse McCrosky & Mateusz Stalinski, 2025. "Toxic Content and User Engagement on Social Media: Evidence from a Field Experiment," CESifo Working Paper Series 11644, CESifo.
    6. Beknazar-Yuzbashev, George & Jiménez-Durán, Rafael & McCrosky, Jesse & Stalinski, Mateusz, 2025. "Toxic Content and User Engagement on Social Media: Evidence from a Field Experiment," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 741, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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