“There are surely some content moderators that haven't suffered mental health problems connected to the job, but I haven't met them,” says sociologist and computer scientist Milagros Miceli, who has studied the content moderation industry for the past six years. “I have no doubt that content moderation, like coal mining, is a hazardous job.” Coal mining, known for the proliferation of ‘black lung disease', is a classic example of a hazardous job, but there are only approximately 200,000 coal (…)
The fact you need to misrepresent my argument to have a leg to stand on already tells any reader what they need to know about the value of your premises.
Your arguments from the beginning were ad hominem and red herring, not an actual substantive justification to the comparison of mental illness of moderation teams vs illness of coal miners.
There’s some low hanging fruit solutions to this issue. Forbid content moderation work to be subcontracted from BPOs, all moderation work in the GDPR area must be conducted by people with local passports. Include mandatory whistleblower clauses and require medical examinations yearly before people can be hired for this work. Limit the usage of KPIs for moderation work.
Of course, nobody will enact any of this low hanging fruit because it’s easier to exploit migrants. But let’s keep listening to grifters comparing moderation with coal miners, that’s really going to jive well.
No, its you that are downplaying the effects of mental health
Why is it that mental health issues are treated less severely than physical health issues? You can be deeply affected, and even die, due to them either way
They both can ruin lives
Oh ffs, grow up. Nobody is downplaying the effects of mental health, just asking people to be reasonable. That’s, however, anno 2025, too much to ask. Everyone exists in hyperbole and asinine takes.
PTSD is eminently treatable and manageable. It doesn’t naturally degenerate, it sucks but you can live till you’re old. Black lung, COPD are chronic, degenerative diseases that will eventually make you gasp for air till you die while your loved ones look on without being able to do anything.
This is beyond stupid, I don’t know when we, as a civilisation, reached a point where people can’t understand shades of grey anymore and live in absolutes only.
Unless you kill yourself, because you know, that happens a lot in untreated mental illness
Or even more “minor” stuff like not taking care of your own health, pushing away everyone you know and love, or even maybe want them to hate you so that they won’t get hurt when you do finally do something
You are downplaying mental illness, whether you admit to it or not. Our brain is the core of our being, why do you not take it as seriously as the rest of our body?
COPD is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. That’s the entire universe of people in the world.
I guess WHO also downplays mental health because their take is actually quite similar to my take, you know, the only responsible adult in this thread…
I don’t know why I’m even bothering to entertain this conversation. Good day.
You are arguing with literal children. Of course they’re going to have ridiculous, childish takes.