Categorizing Live Streaming Moderation Tools

Abstract

Twitch is one of the largest live streaming platforms and is unique from other social media in that it supports synchronous interaction and enables users to engage in moderation of the content through varied technical tools, which include auto-moderation tools provided by Twitch, third-party applications, and home-brew apps. The authors interviewed 21 moderators on Twitch and categorized the current features of real-time moderation tools they are using into four functions (chat control, content control, viewer control, settings control) and explored some new features of tools that they wish to own (e.g., grouping chat by languages, pop out window to hold messages, chat slow down, a set of buttons with pre-written/pre-message content, viewer activity tracking, all in one). Design implications provide suggestions for chatbots and algorithm design and development.