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The Laborers Who Keep Dick Pics and Beheadings Out of Your FaceBook Feed

Part 1: There is a silent population of skimmers keeping our social media PG. These 'skimmers' spend their days clearing out porn and graphic content, so the internet is more friendly for users of all ages. It is estimated that well over 100,000 people moderate in this way, doubling google's employees. These moderators are paid terribly, and sign non-disclosure agreements in order to maintain the illusion of godly algorithms and coding carrying the platform. The mental toll on many of these moderators meant leaving before even having their position for a year. While many of these employees have counseling provided for them, it simply doesn't undo the damage already done.

Part 2: How am I supposed to respond to this article? Even with the in-class warning, I was unprepared for the content of this article. Knowing the fragility of my own mental health without seeing things like that every day, I can only imagine the horrible effects that has on those who's job it is to clean up our internet. I remember an ex who would tell me about these horrible videos he'd watched online, it was some undercover site. And I just wondered how someone could watch those. Knowing what I know now about him combined with the information this article shared has given me a clearer view. Recognizing that there are sick people in the world who enjoy that shit (there is no better word for it) is difficult, but honestly that just seems to be the most blatant version of privilege I've ever come across. We can pretend the world is sunshine and roses, we can choose innocence and ignorance because of those who face the darkest pieces of humanity day in and day out. We owe so much to these laborers, but they're kept to the shadows. Few will ever know the true service they provide.

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