What psychological trauma do women in rural India experience while moderating content?

Women moderators experience significant psychological trauma, including sleepless nights and emotional numbing, from viewing violent and pornographic material.

Why are women in rural communities hired to moderate global tech content?

Women are hired for content moderation due to perceptions of reliability and detail-orientation, offering them rare income opportunities without migration.

Do content moderation companies provide psychological support to their workers?

Many companies argue the work is not demanding enough to require mental healthcare and offer little to no psychological support, leaving workers with limited protections.

Home / Business and Economy / Rural Women's Trauma: Moderating Global Tech's Dark Content

Rural Women's Trauma: Moderating Global Tech's Dark Content

5 Feb

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Summary

Women in rural India moderate violent content from home.
This work causes severe psychological distress and trauma.
Companies often deny support, citing work as 'not demanding'.

Rural Women's Trauma: Moderating Global Tech's Dark Content

Women in rural Indian communities are facing significant psychological trauma while moderating violent and pornographic content for global technology firms. Working remotely from places like Jharkhand state, these 'ghost workers' classify vast amounts of flagged material daily to train AI algorithms. The distressing nature of the content leads to severe emotional strain, including sleeplessness and emotional numbing, as reported by moderators.

Sociologists and researchers categorize content moderation as dangerous work, comparable to lethal industries, with studies indicating lasting cognitive and emotional harm. Despite the psychological risks, many companies operating from smaller towns with lower labor costs offer minimal or no psychological support. Workers from marginalized backgrounds are often hired under vague job descriptions, only discovering the true nature of the work after contracts are signed.