This video conversation offers us an intimate insight into the psychological impacts of content moderation and the role of friendship and artistic expression in healing.

By Sakine Mohamadi Bozorg

Recommended citation: Mohamadi Bozorg, S. (2024). In the Colony of Blooded Eyes: A Trilogy on Working Conditions in Germany as Content Moderator. Coordination by M. Miceli, A. Dinika, K. Kauffman, C. Salim Wagner & L. Sachenbacher]. Retrieved from https://data-workers.org/sakine

My name is Sakine and I invite you to join me in the atelier of my friend and former colleague Sara, where we spent an afternoon talking about our experiences as content moderators. We met in May 2019 on the production floor of an outsourcing company in Berlin where we both worked as content moderators for a large social media platform. For many years, our job consisted of evaluating and removing content that is illegal, harmful and/or goes against the sites’ policies. Both of us have left this company but are still dealing with the long-term consequences of the work on our mental health. In this intimate conversation, we talk about the ways in which this work has changed us, how we adapted to the high-pressure demands and constant surveillance of that workplace, how our interactions with colleagues anchored us, and how we felt trapped because of financial constraints and the need to have a visa to stay in Germany. While we were still working as content moderators, shame was an emotion we strongly associated with work. Non-disclosure agreements prevented us from talking to our families and friends, but we also did not want to talk about a job that “required no qualifications” and was slowly eroding our mental health. This conversation is part of our long process of healing, of moving past this shame and demanding better conditions, and the importance of togetherness and interaction in this process.

The core of this conversation is about trauma and healing. How did this work make us feel then and how does it still impact us today? What was the process of recognizing the exploitation and harm we were suffering? And how was the process of finding our ways back to ourselves? For Sara, distracting herself and keeping her hands busy was a good way to cope with the job. Throughout the video, you can see her working on a ceramic piece and a discussion about the essential role of artistic expression for healing. It is my hope that this work sparks reflection and raises awareness of the long-term consequences of disregarding worker’s mental health.

About the Author In May 2019, after extensive studies and research in Philosophy across Iran, the Czech Republic, and Germany, Sakine Mohamadi Bozorg took a break from academic life. She moved to Berlin and began working as a Content Moderator. This temporary occupation allowed her to explore the culture of silence and anonymity deeply, both physically and mentally. Sakine's diverse educational background and rich research experience have shaped her into an insightful and versatile independent researcher and essayist.