All in moderation? Examining the role of group administrators in the Facebook group Cambridge Bay News - Laura Dunn

Facebook groups have become a key part of life for many in Nunavut, providing a hub for small businesses, revitalizing Inuit culture and re-connecting communities (Dunn, 2018). Behind each group is an administrator or sometimes a team of administrators who work hard to keep the group useful, active and clear of spam. Administrators hold significant power to decide on the tone and content of the group by moderating the posts and deciding which members can access the group, but this power is somewhat limited by the opinions and requests of group members. The dynamics of the group are complicated by Facebook’s own moderation practices which often impose colonial ideas of what is “graphic” content by banning photos of successful hunts or breastfeeding mothers. This talk looks at the work of the group administrator as essential maintenance for recuperative infrastructures that can strengthen or limit a group’s potential to reclaim and rebuild relationships strained or broken by colonial interventions.