Content Moderation zwischen Anstandsdame, Schiedsrichter und Zensor? Zu Formen der Kommunikationskontrolle und ihren Folgeproblemen

Abstract

This article examines content moderation (CM) from a systems theoretical perspective as a form of communication control. Rather than pursuing normative or legal classifications, CM is understood as a practical problem within communicative systems. Three historical social figures – “chaperone”, “referee”, and “censor” – serve as heuristic reference points to illustrate different modes and problems of communication control: from interactive monitoring to organizational rule enforcement to societal regulation of what may be said. It becomes apparent that communication control always encounters conflicts of interest that mirror the frequently observed problems of content moderation: between visibility and invisibility, norm setting and norm enforcement, and inclusion and exclusion. The logic of digital communication (asynchrony, anonymity, and range) further intensifies these conflicts. The study concludes that CM must be understood as a practice whose conflicting goals cannot be conclusively resolved, but whose management itself becomes a persistent societal task.