Content moderation on social media sparks controversy. Arguments for greater restrictions or, conversely, more user liberty are often framed as matters of law, censorship of disfavored ideas, politics, or management of a public square. The social media platforms themselves sometimes approach it as issues of governance, fact-checking, or community response.

These approaches are largely top down; that is, a platform or the government designates someone to be in control. What’s missing are content moderation approaches that leverage economic incentives. Economic incentives have been the dominant force managing content for centuries and could be put to greater use in social media today.

Read Dr. Jamison’s complete blog post at AEI.