Content moderation double-bind theory

The article argues that content moderation creates a double-bind for every company that hosts or publishes user content: the closer content gets to the line of what is prohibited, the more attention it attracts, and the more attention it attracts, the costlier it is to moderate. Citing a 2018 Facebook note by Mark Zuckerberg, the author says engagement rises as content nears the policy line, even when users say afterward that they dislike it. The author gives Logan Paul, David Dobrik, and Basecamp as examples, and argues that ad-based revenue is not the root cause, since subscription platforms such as Substack also reward edgy content. The article also contends that Section 230 lets platforms present themselves as tools rather than publishers.