Should we allow NSFW content on Steemit? The debate over censorship vs freedom of posting.
With upwards of a thousand new users joining Steemit every day, the volume of content being produced every day is growing rapidly. This is a good thing. However, the nature of how Steemit works inevitably means that a lot of new users are here simply to make a quick buck, and not to grow the community as a whole. Classic 'clickbait' posts including NSFW content are becoming more and more frequent (and often successful), and, while effective, are doing very little to improve the overall quality of Steemit content as a whole. As their numbers increase, these kinds of posts also have the potential to damage Steemit's reputation as a place for people to share interesting and original thought.
Of course, one of Steemit's main drawing cards is the ability to post about anything you like, and any kind of enforced censorship has the potential to damage that reputation as well. Implementing a reporting system for inappropriate content such as that found on Facebook could go some way towards limiting posts that are deemed unsuitable for the site - but this begs the question of who will decide what is and is not suitable. A set of guidelines for posting that are voted on by the Steemit community might worth creating, but even when posting guidelines are made very clear, they're often not followed or strictly enforced. We hear often about Facebook content being flagged and even removed just because someone decided they didn't like it, and not because it goes against any stated guidelines for posting. The practicality of such a system would also be difficult, requiring admins to review any flagged posts and make the final call - a time-consuming and ultimately subjective process. This also introduces a kind of authoritative structure to what is supposed to be a decentralized system, so is perhaps not the best approach.
What is the best solution, then, for deciding what kind of content should be allowed on Steemit? For the time being, perhaps the simplest solution is for Steemit users, as integral parts of the self-regulating network, to vote with their feet (or rather, their fingers) - by simply upvoting content that they deem valuable and ignoring posts that are inappropriate. This, at the very least, should discourage people from posting unsuitable content by restricting the profit they can make from them. This doesn't just apply to NSFW posts, but also those that are shamelessly asking for upvotes, or simply do not contribute anything valuable. Another idea that might be worth putting forward is a system of actual downvoting whereby a post that dips below a certain threshold is automatically removed. Perhaps, in contrast to the autocracy of Facebook and other social media networks, Steemers can create a more realistic online democracy by taking responsibility as curators in this way.
What do you guys think? How should Steemit handle NSFW and other potentially unsuitable content? How can we as Steemers be part of the solution and help the network to grow in the best possible way? Please share your thoughts.
I feel it should be left wide open. Like the internet. If you come across something you don't want to read on Google, you just don't click on it. If something comes on TV that you don't want to watch you change the channel. If someone posts something you don't want to see on Steemit, don't click on it. Posters should tag and title their blogs correctly though. My two Steem.
I do not thinking censoring content is the way to go - much rather implement new filters and options for people to customize their feed. If you would rather not see NSFW content you should most definitely be able to opt-out, but to completely banning it is not an approach I support.
I do not think we can successfully stop people from shamelessly trying to attract upvotes - it happens on every established social media in existence. What we can do, however, is to promote a culture which values quality content whilst allowing users to seamlessly customize their personal feeds.
I also think steemit needs to be open for every content. I say no for censorship. The only weapon against it is downvoting, or proper taging.
I think as the problem gets bigger and gets more attention, the community will be starting to create a solution for it. Like users starts downvote such a content or even making bots for that job.
At the end the community needs to agree the rules of posting at steemit and enforce it.
If no one is being abused then it should be allowed. Censorship defeats the whole point of a platform like Steem. The only time to censor is to protect others from a legitimate harm.
If people post stuff which is considered NSFW then as long as it's in the right section then people won't want to see it can just not look there.
Steemit should allow any and all content without any type of centralized censorship - it is up to the community to curate content on the basis of merit/quality.
I'm against censorship but do believe children should be protected, within reason. Perhaps new registrations should have to enter their age, and certain tags might remain invisible to them until they are 18.
Hey, I wrote a post on this as well:
https://steemit.com/steemit/@faddat/where-s-the-porn-long-title-why-steemit-is-a-way-better-deal-for-those-wanting-to-earn-by-showing-their-naughty-bits
To summarize my thoughts:
Censorship is not the way to go but to avoid the site being a dump of pornographic materials there must be some measures taken to self-regulate the trend.
I think people must be free to post what they want, and those who don't want NSFW posts must have the option to filter them out. Maybe a button for nsfw-free browsing on the interface or smt. :D