AUSTIN, TEXAS — An investigation by The Verge sheds a light on the working conditions of Facebook content moderators.
A recent investigation by Casey Newton for The Verge explored the job of Facebook's so-called 'content moderators.' The social network relies on these contractors to moderate its platform and rid it of explicit content.
The social media giant has roughly 15,000 content moderators, most of which are outsourced from other digital service companies. Cognizant is one such company. Chloe, a Cognizant ex-employee, told The Verge she suffers from severe anxiety after watching a man being stabbed to death.
Some employees continue to experience PTSD-like symptoms and secondary traumatic effects long after leaving Cognizant but they are not eligible for support from them or Facebook itself once they've left.
Although they keep Facebook clean at the cost of their mental health, these moderators make just $28,800 per year. Citing data from Glassdoor, an April 2017 Business Insider report says the media pay at Facebook is roughly $240,000 per year.