Comment Filter Setting
Users choose whether comments are chronological or algorithmic.
How does this mitigate hate?
Some social platforms prioritize showing certain comments according to what it determines as most relevant to the user or what has the most engagement, rather than providing an option to show them only in chronological order.
When to use it?
Platforms that include a comment section that is filtered through the use of an algorithm, should use this pattern to allow users to choose how they want to be fed comments.
Platforms that experience a high level of outrage and negative reactions to other comments should consider using this pattern to provide users with an option of filtering comments in a way that isn’t intended to initiate a high level of engagement.
How does it work?
Users should be able to easily access this option menu, ideally through the comment section itself.
After the option has been changed by the user, the chosen setting should become the default after the app has been closed.
Advantages
Comment filtering methods that use algorithms to filter comments typically prioritize comments that are likely to initiate engagement by the user.
The option of filtering by most-recent offers users the opportunity to view a more diverse selection of comments, including those that they are less likely to engage with. Viewing comments that are less likely to initiate engagement can help to mitigate the spread of hate in comment feeds by slowing the spread of outrage from highly engaging comments.
Examples
YouTube comment filter allows users to sort by newest over “Top”.
(Screenshot taken June 2021)
References
Sartor, Prof. Giovanni, and Dr. Andrea Loreggia. “The Impact of Algorithms for Online Content Filtering or Moderation.” Europarl.europa.eu. European Parliament’s Committee on Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs, September 2020. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2020/657101/IPOL_STU(2020)657101_EN.pdf.