21 votes

Reddit’s automoderator is the future of the internet, and deeply imperfect | The good: AutoMod saves time and prevents potential mental health issues. The bad: Humans still have to clean up after it.

23 comments

  1. [2]
    Deimos
    (edited )
    Link
    I talked with Shagun a few times about this research, and did a formal interview with him as part of it too. This is a bit of a weird write-up of it though, it has a very grandiose title/subtitle...
    • Exemplary

    I talked with Shagun a few times about this research, and did a formal interview with him as part of it too.

    This is a bit of a weird write-up of it though, it has a very grandiose title/subtitle but then doesn't seem to actually say much and misunderstands and over-simplifies a few aspects to be able to call them weaknesses. It doesn't make much sense to talk about its inability to read the text in images/memes (meme text is almost always large and clear so it's easy to OCR, it's just not what AutoMod does) and compare it to the tools that Facebook & co. are using, since those are almost all machine-learning-based.

    18 votes
    1. shiruken
      Link Parent
      His reaction from the r/science chat:

      His reaction from the r/science chat:

      I don't think I agree with the title of this piece 😞 but there you go!

      8 votes
  2. [4]
    knocklessmonster
    Link
    The good thing about a tool like AutoModerator, though, is they remove most of the crap, and you only have to deal with limited appeals, rather than dozens of reported posts. I'm assuming this to...

    The good thing about a tool like AutoModerator, though, is they remove most of the crap, and you only have to deal with limited appeals, rather than dozens of reported posts. I'm assuming this to be the case, but obviously we have a lot of reddit moderators here, as well as AutoModerator's creator who could probably offer better takes than a user like me.

    16 votes
    1. [3]
      vakieh
      Link Parent
      I know a really easy way to deal with appeals...

      and you only have to deal with limited appeals

      I know a really easy way to deal with appeals...

  3. [4]
    tomf
    Link
    I solo-mod four active subs, but only around 275k subscribers total. There's no way I could mod my main one (211k) without automod. Combine that with /r/toolbox, and basic moderation is a breeze....

    I solo-mod four active subs, but only around 275k subscribers total. There's no way I could mod my main one (211k) without automod. Combine that with /r/toolbox, and basic moderation is a breeze.

    I only use it for basics like stickying automated posts (e.g. podcast subs), handling request vs solved for a support sub, the standard spam / keyword filtering, and faux-shadowbanning.

    I check up on AM's work once a day -- I used to check more -- at most I get one false positive. It's such a remarkable tool. As a side benefit, it got me into using regex, which is also beautiful.

    Without @Deimos' work, being a mod on reddit would be a nightmare.

    14 votes
    1. [3]
      Parliament
      Link Parent
      It’s still a nightmare. That’s why I gave up in July 2018 after putting several years into it.

      Without @Deimos' work, being a mod on reddit would be a nightmare.

      It’s still a nightmare. That’s why I gave up in July 2018 after putting several years into it.

      10 votes
      1. Amarok
        Link Parent
        The burnout is real. :/

        The burnout is real. :/

        6 votes
      2. tomf
        Link Parent
        Are there any other platforms that have a good moderation system? The subs I run are a total breeze. I couldn't imagine working one of the defaults or anything with a few million that hits /all on...

        Are there any other platforms that have a good moderation system?

        The subs I run are a total breeze. I couldn't imagine working one of the defaults or anything with a few million that hits /all on a daily basis. I won't take on any additional subs, though. I tried to pawn off a 40k sub, but nobody in the community wanted it. The sub doesn't involve any interaction from me, though -- its mainly questions / show-and-tell.

        4 votes
  4. [7]
    StellarTabi
    Link
    I'm the only active mod on a sub that specifically criticizes far center fascists and I'm worried about what will happen if it grows 10x or 100x its size. Automod has been pretty good though so far.

    I'm the only active mod on a sub that specifically criticizes far center fascists and I'm worried about what will happen if it grows 10x or 100x its size. Automod has been pretty good though so far.

    6 votes
    1. tomf
      Link Parent
      As a fellow solo-mod, it's tough to find someone who will mod at our own level. I added a mod to my largest sub, and he hasn't done anything for years. So many people want their name in the list...

      As a fellow solo-mod, it's tough to find someone who will mod at our own level. I added a mod to my largest sub, and he hasn't done anything for years. So many people want their name in the list but don't want to do the work.

      It depends on your subscribers, but I dreaded hitting 100k -- then I dreaded 150k.. but there really isn't any difference as long as you keep automod updated and auto-filter / remove the troublemakers. I don't use the automated responses from either automod or toolbox when I remove a post. I figure, if the person is a troublemaker, I don't want them to figure out how to refine their posts to get around my conditions. :)

      4 votes
    2. [6]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. [4]
        StellarTabi
        Link Parent
        Its tongue in cheek, talking about people who are obviously extreme far right trolls with bigoted agendas, but claim to be "centrists" and try to pass off blatent racism as "just facts".

        Its tongue in cheek, talking about people who are obviously extreme far right trolls with bigoted agendas, but claim to be "centrists" and try to pass off blatent racism as "just facts".

        14 votes
        1. [3]
          CharlieConway
          Link Parent
          Oh so the subreddit is kind of about concern trolls?

          Oh so the subreddit is kind of about concern trolls?

          3 votes
          1. [2]
            StellarTabi
            Link Parent
            Vaguely yes, but it doesn't sound accurate. /r/SmugIdeologyMan, like smuggies for people who aren't openly racist/homophobic/transphobic. It's a left leaning meme sub.

            Vaguely yes, but it doesn't sound accurate. /r/SmugIdeologyMan, like smuggies for people who aren't openly racist/homophobic/transphobic. It's a left leaning meme sub.

            3 votes
            1. moocow1452
              Link Parent
              So it's like an Enlightened Centrist thing?

              So it's like an Enlightened Centrist thing?

      2. CharlieConway
        Link Parent
        That's when you're right in the middle but you've brought a step stool to stand on.

        That's when you're right in the middle but you've brought a step stool to stand on.

        2 votes
  5. [6]
    nothis
    Link
    Tildes is to reddit what AutoModerator is to reddit moderation.

    Tildes is to reddit what AutoModerator is to reddit moderation.

    1 vote
    1. [5]
      vakieh
      Link Parent
      I'm trying to make this connection and have come up with nothing - what on earth does this mean?

      I'm trying to make this connection and have come up with nothing - what on earth does this mean?

      9 votes
      1. [4]
        StellarTabi
        Link Parent
        Title: Reddit’s automoderator is the future of the internet OP's implication: Tildes is the future (replacing reddit's current role).

        Title: Reddit’s automoderator is the future of the internet

        OP's implication: Tildes is the future (replacing reddit's current role).

        2 votes
        1. [3]
          Deimos
          Link Parent
          Alternative interpretation: AutoModerator is what happened when I got tired of dealing with reddit moderation. (I originally built it because I was annoyed at how much I had to constantly do...

          Alternative interpretation:

          AutoModerator is what happened when I got tired of dealing with reddit moderation. (I originally built it because I was annoyed at how much I had to constantly do manually)

          Tildes is what happened when I got tired of dealing with reddit.

          (@vakieh)

          24 votes
          1. [2]
            LukeZaz
            Link Parent
            Sounds to me like you should get tired of things more often! :P

            Sounds to me like you should get tired of things more often! :P

            6 votes
            1. flip
              Link Parent
              I'm glad I was not the only one who came with a version of this thought. If two times being tired brought AM and Tildes, then yeah, more tiredness for Deimos.

              I'm glad I was not the only one who came with a version of this thought. If two times being tired brought AM and Tildes, then yeah, more tiredness for Deimos.

              7 votes