The “Unsing Heroes” of the “Infocalypse”: Company Representations of Commercial Content Moderators

Abstract

Historically, companies have invisibilized some media workers to maintain underlying infrastructural ideologies. Likewise, contemporary commercial content moderators (CCMs) are hidden to obscure tensions inherent in digital platforms’ neoliberal ideologies and data economies. Despite this, CCMs are increasingly demanding visibility and legal rights. However, companies are responding by crafting their own narratives about CCMs for different audiences. What representations do these companies create about CCMs, and with what effects? Using thematic analysis of three case study examples, I outline discourses of “heroic battles,” resilience and wellness, and humanness. These discourses naturalize underlying infrastructural ideologies and could impact future legal protections.