The Social Media Takeaway - Louise McDonnell

How Social Media Content Moderation Can Impact Workplace Stress

• Louise McDonnell • Season 1 • Episode 25

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In this episode of The Social Media Takeaway, I chat with Valentina Spagnesi, a body psychotherapist, about the stress caused by social media in the workplace, particularly for content moderators. We explore the mental and physical effects of exposure to disturbing content and discuss the benefits of body psychotherapy compared to traditional counseling. Valentina shares her journey and offers practical strategies to manage and recover from stress, providing valuable insights for anyone dealing with the pressures of social media.

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Louise McDonnell:

Welcome to the social media takeaway. I'm your host, Louise McDonnell. This is the show where we talk about all things social media. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe. And if there's anyone you know who may be interested in the topic, be sure to share the show with them. So today I'm speaking to Valentina Spagnesi. She is a body psychotherapist and we are going to be speaking about stress in the workplace caused by social media. And in particular, we're going to be speaking about stress. Related to social media content moderation. Valentina!

Valentina Spagnesi:

Hello.

Louise McDonnell:

Hi. Tell me about your journey. How did you become a body psychotherapist? Tell us about that journey.

Valentina Spagnesi:

Okay. So as you probably can guess from my accent, I'm not originally from Ireland. I come from Italy, but I've been living in Ireland for 17 years. of this stage. And when I was in Italy, I studied theatre, so for a few years I walked the stage, I was an actress, and then eventually when I moved, that, you know, that changed. When it came to study counselling and psychotherapy, however, I was very familiar on the impact fact that the body had on the process. So I did a course in counselling and, you know, psychotherapy, traditional, you know, the traditional talking cure, as they say. But it wasn't enough for me because I felt like the body was cut off from the conversation. So I researched and I found a course in Cambridge that allowed me to to become a body psychotherapist. And I went for that because it allowed me to integrate both body and mind. And that's how I came to be a body psychotherapist.

Louise McDonnell:

Excellent stuff. Okay. So, and tell me, what do you like about being a body psychotherapist?

Valentina Spagnesi:

Well, I like it because it's integrative. So it allows me to work with both sides of the apple, so to speak. What I like the most about it is I can work with a lot of different clients. So even if you come to me and you've already attempted traditional counselling, and believe me, I had a lot of clients that have attempted traditional counselling, and they say, I have nothing to talk about. It's okay. We don't have to talk about anything. I mean, if it's a matter of not knowing what to say, we can simply go through the body. So sometimes it's as easy as doing some breathing exercises. Sometimes we can work with boundaries. So sometimes we can do exercises about saying no. Sometimes we can just go to the table. I have a massage table in my room where I can work on your body and with your body encouraging you. to sense into yourself. So if you have nothing to say, believe me, your body has plenty to say.

Louise McDonnell:

Do you think that this is why when people go to their beauty salon or go to their hairdresser that they nearly use those sessions as counseling sessions?

Valentina Spagnesi:

Well, that's a very good point. You know, I worked in a beauty salon four years ago before COVID. I was, because I'm also a biodynamic massage therapist, it's part of my training. So I was renting a room in a beauty salon and I could see all these women that were very relaxed and then they were talking about, uh, you know, their own sometimes very personal stuff. I think it's part of it, probably because they feel taken care of. So there is something in the touch in being touched by someone else in a not judgmental way that invites the conversation. The thing is, I have the skills to listen to what people have to say and, you know, to work on their problems. Something that, you know, your, your beauty salon might not have. So you might have a nice, nice chat. You might let off some steam, but probably you might not get the insights that you could get from having a session with me. How does the body store trauma? So, how does the body store trauma is the bulk of my work. I believe, well, it's not me, science is proving that any single time we go through trauma, trauma doesn't go away. So, rationally speaking, we might get over things, but the body stores feelings, the body stores emotions in our muscles, so our muscles might be Our heartbeat might be accelerated, and we might suffer from panic attacks out of the blue. So, you know, you know when anything and everything appears to be absolutely fine, but you are having a horrible panic attack and you absolutely have no idea where this is coming from. Where this is coming from, your trauma. So if you haven't worked through your trauma, trauma stays in you. And when something triggers you, and that's the beauty of body psychotherapy, because body psychotherapy, since it's an integrative way of working, it teaches you and it shows you more than teaching you, it shows you how your trigger works. So if you have triggers, And you have no clue how your trigger, triggers work. Body psychotherapy give you an indication. So, for example, you know that when you feel anxious, your chest is constricted. Or your breathing is shallow, or your stomach is fluttering. So those are triggers. So the more you start and the more you learn how to acknowledge these triggers, the better you will feel. Because then that will mean, Oh, I know that I'm feeling anxious. I can do something about this, instead of not knowing, instead of pushing through your feelings and then, you know, all of a sudden you have a panic attack. So it's kind of stopping you before the edge.

Louise McDonnell:

And so somebody then that is overseeing the employee support programs for them, like, what is the difference between body psychotherapy and counseling? And can you do it online or does it have to be in person?

Valentina Spagnesi:

So, counselling and body psychotherapy are both very helpful. Now, with COVID and after COVID, body psychotherapy had the challenge and the opportunity to go online. So, both can be delivered online without problems. The difference between traditional counselling and body psychotherapy, even if they are both done online, is counselling can fell short when it comes to body awareness. So a body psychotherapist online would be very focused on body awareness, what's going on in your body. Really, so that would be a very frequent asked question and counseling would probably focus much more on rational understanding. So understanding what's going on, the reasons, so why you are behaving in a certain way. There is value in that as well, but it's not as I integrative as body psychotherapy because body psychotherapy will help you to find the reasons, but beside that will also help you to explore the root causes that are rooted in your body that causes the reasons of your behavior.

Louise McDonnell:

Great. Would you say that someone for whom counselling has been advised, but they don't like to talk, is body psychotherapy an easier way for them to start getting the help they need?

Valentina Spagnesi:

Definitely. It's the best way because now there is also an amount, a fair amount of talking involved in body psychotherapy as well. But what makes it different from counselling is you don't need to talk if you don't want to. we can still do the work, you know, as long as you go to the room, or as long as you log in on Zoom, or WhatsApp, or Teams, or whatever you are, okay? As long as you start the process, there is a lot of benefit.

Louise McDonnell:

Okay. Okay. What do content moderators do?

Valentina Spagnesi:

Content moderators do a very delicate job. So their job is to filter all the content that is created on social media across the globe. Okay. So that is compliant to regulations and, you know, just so that it can be consumed safely by the general public. So they are constantly monitoring. constantly checking content. And they have to do it in the most efficient and in the quickest way possible. Which means that sometimes they don't really have the time to digest the information that they are looking at. So they might be seeing, they might be looking at, very graphic images in a very short amount of time. Which means that they might be checking thousands of images per day and some of them might be particularly triggering. So It's a very, very delicate and intense job. Basically, they don't last long in this job, or at least the best practice would be for a content moderator to change the roles quickly enough. So within, you know, within the year.

Louise McDonnell:

Are you seeing any trends relating to stress in the workplace and social media?

Valentina Spagnesi:

Definitely, there is a trend in increased stress related to social media for employers. Basically, what happens is, especially now with all the sensitive issues going around, such as elections, wars, political issues, and so on, employers spend a lot of the time, and employees spend a lot of the time in front of their screens, soaking up these information and some of them might go against their sensitivity. So that means that they are stressed about what they see and what they read. Problem is they don't know how to switch off. So they don't know when to say this is enough. There is a sort of FOMO, if you like, fear of missing out. So they want to know more and more. If we think about what happened during COVID. So all of us were continuously checking our phones to see what the latest news was. That's a little bit what I'm seeing when it comes to to social media and trends that are around it at the moment.

Louise McDonnell:

Is this for all workplaces or is this specifically for workplaces that are involved with moderation on social media?

Valentina Spagnesi:

Well, it's both. If we work with content moderators, they are particularly triggered by it because they look at the content day in and day out, which means that they might be triggered. Content that they see is not filtered. So if we look at normal people, you know, like me. when I consume social media, I can say, no, I'm not interested in this and I can move forward. But if you are a content moderator and the job of a content moderator is to filter all the content that is created across the globe, so they don't have this opportunity. They really have to look at anything that everyone around the world might be creating. And for some of them, that might be incredibly triggering. So for example, if you have a cat or a dog, So if you're a pet lover in general, and the content that you see involves someone mistreating the pet, that might be particularly triggering for you.

Louise McDonnell:

So for people that are in a content moderation role, and I know it's work related, but what effect does it have on them?

Valentina Spagnesi:

Since the content that they check every day might be incredibly triggering, some of them might develop symptoms that are very similar to the post traumatic stress syndrome. They can develop symptoms that are called secondary or vicarious trauma, so which means they are not traumatized but they become traumatized because they look We are all triggered by all the sensitive issues that are all around the world. Okay? So for example, if you are a mom or a dad and if you have children at home and you are looking at an image of a child being killed, that is incredibly triggering. So that's why they develop symptoms that are so similar to the Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, Secondary Trauma or Vicarious Trauma. And it's very hard. You know, once you are in that mental space, it is very, very, very difficult to get out of it. It's not impossible. You can do it. I'm here for that, but it's very difficult to get out of it.

Louise McDonnell:

What are the common psychological and physical effects experienced by content moderators who are regularly exposed to disturbing images and videos?

Valentina Spagnesi:

One of the effects of secondary trauma, vicarious trauma, or PTSD, they might have an impact on your sleep. So, for example, you might stop sleeping altogether, or you might have lots of problems in falling asleep, or staying asleep, or resting in general, because you have so many intrusive thoughts coming through your mind that, you know, you just cannot rest properly. You might develop digestive problems. because it's very difficult to digest certain images. I mean, your body is kind of rejecting those images. And plus, you can also have problems, behavioral problems. So you might snap at everything. Okay. Well, of course, because if you don't get enough rest, you're exhausted mentally and physically and emotionally. So you're so drained that it's very easy for you to snap.

Louise McDonnell:

And so what kind of images are these poor content moderators being exposed to?

Valentina Spagnesi:

So it depends on where they are working. So they might be working in different teams. Some of them might deal with child abuse. Some of them might be dealing with animal abuse. Some of them might be dealing with war. All of them or all of the above. Okay. It depends on the, on the companies. So certain companies might create a specialist team just to deal with child abuse, for example. Another company might decide that, you know, they provide training to all the employees and they just, you know, deal with whatever comes up. So that's how, that's how they work. It's a very, it's an incredibly demanding job. Lots of the people that are in content moderators, That our content moderators are at a very high risk of burnout.

Louise McDonnell:

What can employers do to support their content moderation teams in terms of mental health resources and creating a less stressful work environment?

Valentina Spagnesi:

Good practice and best practice for all companies offering support to their content moderators is to have a very robust support network. So they should have at least once a month, ideally twice a month, a therapist going on site. They should provide a team, you know, an EAP, so an emotional assistance program, an employee assistance program that can help their employees. Thank you. We, you know that if they are having, or if they are showing certain symptoms that might be a spy, that they're going through something, it's very important for them to have a group review or a peer review where they feel less isolated so that they are able to talk to each other, ideally again with a therapist, because a therapist will be able to understand and to see immediately when something is not quite there and needs to be explored further.

Louise McDonnell:

Can body psychotherapy techniques be adapted for remote or home based workers who might not have access to in person therapy sessions?

Valentina Spagnesi:

Many content moderators work remotely. Some have a hybrid model of working. So work, for example, a couple of days in the office and the rest they work remotely. So when it comes to therapy as well, they might need therapy and it might have to be delivered remotely. simply because of geographic challenges. So definitely, body psychotherapy can be delivered remotely. It's been done. I work remotely. And the way we work, the way I work specifically, is about body awareness, breathing exercises, grounding exercises. So there is an emphasis on breathing. how the client is experiencing all of these difficult feelings through their body, which in the case, as I explained earlier on, which in the case of people going through trauma, it might be, you know, difficulty in sleeping or, you know, digestive issues. So in that particular case, the work might resolve around the breathing exercises. practicing together breathing exercises. So again, the body is the key. So whatever you might not be able to say, if you have seen a particularly triggering image, you might not want to talk about it, but breathing through it might help you to feel better straight away.

Louise McDonnell:

So is it true to say that body psychotherapy can deal with the physical and psychological supports that content moderators need?

Valentina Spagnesi:

Psychotherapists are not doctors, so of course we can't diagnose, but what we can do is work with the emotional difficulties, with the emotional challenges that content moderators go through. So if they have challenges about, you know, their sleep linked to their work, definitely there is a lot of room for us to intervene, and for me specifically, to intervene and help with whatever challenges you might be having.

Louise McDonnell:

Okay, great. What are some immediate practical techniques content moderators can use during their work day to manage acute stress?

Valentina Spagnesi:

So the first thing to do is check in with yourself. So when it comes to checking in with yourself, breathing is the first thing to do. So really notice what's happening in your body. The first question you really need to ask yourself is what's happening with me? How am I? How am I doing? I'm seeing this image. Take a moment. Just picking in breath. If possible, take a break. Your company should provide you one anyway, so take a break. Go away from the screen. Try to recenter yourself. Focus on your body, okay? Sometimes it's very easy to do, just, you know, push your feet on the floor, feel the support that the floor is giving you. Or even adjust, shift on the chair, you know, feel your back, feel your spine. Again, this is the way you can reground yourself and you can be more present with yourself. Okay?

Louise McDonnell:

What long term strategies can content moderators adopt to process and recover from the accumulation of stress and trauma?

Valentina Spagnesi:

So the best way for content moderators to recover is to engage in therapy. One thing that you might want to do is talk to a therapist. Ideally, if, you know, if your issue is also body. So if it's bodily affects you, a body psychotherapist, so someone that is skilled in giving you not only the practical explanations, the rational explanations of what's going on, and it's trained in listening to you, but also can really listen to what's happening in your body. Why do I say that? Because what happens to people that are traumatized, and if you're suffering from vicarious trauma, you might not want to talk about what you've seen, because it might be too much for you. But that doesn't mean that you can't do anything about it. The best way to move forward for you is to really allow yourself to be with someone that you don't have to talk about anything if you don't want to. can be with you, can go through your body, can work with your body, and ultimately you might feel a little bit more comfortable in talking about what's really the issue. But that would probably be a second stage.

Louise McDonnell:

And tell me, where do you see it all going, Valentina? Where do you see this all going? Like, you know, what strikes me is People used to go, like in past, people went to war and the people who fought in the war were traumatized and they, because they saw what they saw, they witnessed what they witnessed and then they had to go on with their lives. Whereas it seems with social media that there is no limit to where the pictures can end up.

Valentina Spagnesi:

Where do I see this going? That's a very good question. I suppose that eventually someone will have to intervene. I honestly think that the content moderator's job will be very much in demand for the next few years, and probably technology will be even more supportive than when it is now. So I know for sure that artificial intelligence is already kicking in, so they are able to filter out. some of the content that is being produced, but not all of it, because you can never, you can never, you know, uh, cancel or erase the human touch. But that means that there will be a lot of traumatized people around.

Louise McDonnell:

Yeah, it's awful, really, isn't it?

Valentina Spagnesi:

It's, uh, look, I didn't know until, uh, Till I started working with it, I really realized I've never been around and I, believe me, I worked with a lot of clients. I've never been around a group of people that were more traumatized than the people that I was working with.

Louise McDonnell:

Do employers know how traumatized the content moderators are?

Valentina Spagnesi:

They do, but at the same time, it's a business. So I'm trying to push for, because they, at the moment, I go only once a month. Ideally, they should have someone on site permanently. There should be someone there on site because they might see, you know, and they might be encouraged to go and talk to someone if someone is there. and just drop in. That's how it should be done. But it is what it is. At least they are doing something. It's a start.

Louise McDonnell:

Yeah, what a tough job. It never occurred to me how tough that could be.

Valentina Spagnesi:

I know. I mean, I was talking to this client and they were telling me the problems they had to change the nappies to their baby. Yeah, because they were working in the child abuse team.

Louise McDonnell:

Oh my God.

Valentina Spagnesi:

Yeah.

Louise McDonnell:

What kind of qualifications have these content moderators? Are they specially trained or?

Valentina Spagnesi:

They are specially trained. Some of them have, you know, they, some of them might already have a lot of experience working online. Some might do it because they want to go into, you know, legal or scientific part of the police. I don't know how it's called, but, you know, some, some, some. Someone to go down that route.

Louise McDonnell:

Oh, it's okay.

Valentina Spagnesi:

So they need, they need the practical experience.

Louise McDonnell:

Okay. Well, tough, tough, tough. Thanks so much, Valentina, for coming on and sharing your insights into this really important topic. I know it's really made me think about how social media in a different way, and in particular for content moderators who really are faced with a very, very difficult job indeed. So thanks for coming on and sharing your insights so freely. If you have some feedback for either myself or Valentin and make sure that you tag us on social media, you'll find me under sellonsocialm or on LinkedIn. You'll find me under Louise McDonnell . I'd love to hear your feedback on what you thought about the show. That's it, everyone. That's another episode of the social media takeaway. Make sure you hit that subscribe button so that you don't miss out on any future episodes. And if you know anyone who may be interested, be sure to share the show with them too. Thanks everyone.