'Custodian of Online Communities': How Moderator Mutual Support in Communities Help Fight Hate and Harassment Online

Volunteer moderators play a crucial role in safeguarding online communities, actively combating hate, harassment, and inappropriate content while enforcing community standards. Prior studies have examined moderation tools and practices, moderation challenges, and the emotional labor and burnout of volunteer moderators. However, researchers have yet to delve into the ways moderators support one another in combating hate and harassment within the communities they moderate through participation in meta-communities of moderators. To address this gap, we have conducted a qualitative content analysis of 115 hate and harassment-related threads from r/ModSupport and r/modhelp, two major subreddit forums for moderators for this type of mutual support. Our study reveals that moderators seek assistance on topics ranging from fighting attacks to understanding Reddit policies and rules to just venting their frustration. Other moderators respond to these requests by validating their frustration and challenges, showing emotional support, and providing information and tangible resources to help with their situation. Based on these findings, we share the implications of our work in facilitating platform and peer support for online volunteer moderators on Reddit and similar platforms.