FREE SPEECH AND SAFE SPACES: HOW MODERATION POLICIES SHAPE ONLINE DISCUSSION SPACES.

What are the effects of how we structure online discussion spaces, specifically with regard to anonymity and moderation policies? This paper analyzes nearly a quarter of a million anonymous comments over a 14-month period from two online Reddit forums matched in topic and size, a "safe space" and a "free speech" space. We found that moderators of the safe space removed significantly more comments, but authors deleted their own comments significantly more often as well, suggesting self-censorship. We used LIWC to analyze comments, and found that language used in the safe space was significantly more specific and positive, whereas in the free speech space language was more broad and negative. Most interestingly, we found that these linguistic differences in comments persisted even among users who were posting concurrently in both subreddits. Altogether, these results suggest that even in anonymous online spaces, implemented moderation policies are highly effective in setting norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]