Traditionally, the YouTube comment section has been a cesspool. Unfiltered hatred and vitriol lives there, and as a result, many people don’t even bother with the comments section on YouTube. Now, in a long-awaited move, Google has finally begun to roll out a set of tools for cleaning up the comments and allowing better moderation by the community.

For a long time, platforms such as Instagram and Twitter have lagged behind in comment moderation, giving users very little recourse in cases of stalking and cyberbullying.

Now the tide appears to be turning, albeit slowly. We have seen Reddit introduce new options to block select users, and Microsoft and Instagram have both made it easier in recent months for users to combat online abuse through reporting tools and keyword targeting.

YouTube is now following this trend, introducing a host of new features to deal with bullies and trolls. YouTubers will now be able to pin comments to the top of video feeds, effectively burying comments from trolls or spammers. They will also be able to ‘heart’ certain comments, giving them prominence, and creators comments on their own content will now be highlighted and easier to identify, helping to cultivate conversation on the platform.

“The big challenge is that YouTube comments have been a sea of laziness and meh for so long that they’re a punchline. ”

Speaking to WIRED, James Grimmelmann, a professor of law who studies social networks at Cornell University, expressed doubt over whether the moves would provide enough protection for users. “A lot of these are subtle design nudges,” he said. “[They could] help set a better tone for comments sections by making the things users see more positive, [but] the big challenge is that YouTube comments have been a sea of laziness and meh for so long that they’re a punchline. ”

The effort has been seen as a positive move by most, although it appears that it could be possible to manipulate, pinning comments from a sponsor, for example. Even so, the move to protect users from online harassment is a welcome one. Now all we need is for other social networks to follow these examples. We’re looking at you, Twitter.

2016-11-8 03:00