Please join the Center for American Progress for a live performance of an excerpt from brand-new, topical play, “DRINK IN MODERATION.” This play explores the necessary role social media content moderators play in providing guardrails to the content we consume online and the psychological risks that come with overexposure to extreme and explicit content.
“DRINK IN MODERATION” tells the story of Leo, a recent college graduate who accepts a job as a remote social media content moderator for a major tech company. At first he thrives in the job, but as he continues to review the content, the graphic and unrelenting nature of the material begins to affect his state of mind.
Social media saturates the American cultural experience and with more and more tech companies stating their intention to take a step back from content moderation, this raises questions around the impact of increasingly unfiltered content on U.S. communities. With social media video content comprising a cornerstone of political, social, and cultural consumption—and generative artificial intelligence tools making their way into the mainstream—it is crucial to interrogate the obligations that major companies have in moderating content on their platforms and the role that humans play in that content moderation. This salon intends to provoke discussion about solutions to moderate content online and the human cost of those solutions. The play excerpt will be followed by an in-person interactive conversation that will shine a light on the current state of content moderation and what Americans can do to further protect themselves online.
This program was supported by a grant from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
This event will take place in-person only. Photo identification is required for entry.