consequences of platform content removal

Most empirical research on platform content takedowns focuses on removal
decisions themselves. Research on more complex questions about how
removals affect individual users or society at large is generally harder to
come by.

One possible exception is the growing body of research on online inﬂuence
and the distortion of democratic political processes. Areas of empirical inquiry
include “fake news,” Russian electoral
interference, bot-based message
ampliﬁcation, and political bias in platforms’ content-moderation policies.
Current and likely future work in this area is comparatively robust and is
discussed throughout this volume. A promising source for future research is
Facebook’s Social Science One project with the Social Science Research
Council, which will provide some access to anonymized user data for
independent research on “the effects of social media on democracy and
elections.”55
Social_Media_and_Democracy