Tried to post a satirical meme about our mayor on Nextdoor, got banned in 20 minutes flat

Last Tuesday I made a joke about the mayor's new parking plan in Denver, shared it on the local Nextdoor group. Within 20 minutes a moderator flagged it as 'misinformation' and deleted it. I appealed and they said it violated their civility policy even though it was clearly a photoshopped picture of him riding a goat. I learned that satire doesn't fly on neighborhood apps where someone's aunt runs the moderation. Has anyone else run into this where a platform's rules get twisted to kill comedy?

2 comments

2 Comments

tylerr3925d ago

Three years ago I posted a picture of a tumbleweed with our mayor's face photoshopped on it after he promised to fix the potholes on Colfax and they banned me for "targeted harassment" within two hours. @margaretrivera you hit the nail on the head, these platforms hand over moderation to people who think a knock-knock joke is a personal attack. My neighbor got suspended for posting a meme about the HOA president's obsession with lawn grass height, the mods said it was "mocking community leadership." I guess satire needs a permit in the digital world just like a street fair.

margaretrivera25d ago

I used to think Nextdoor was just a place for lost cats and yard sale posts, but after reading your experience I changed my mind. Last year I made a lighthearted joke about our city council's snow plow route delays and got a three day suspension for "spreading division." It's frustrating when a platform meant for community turns into a place where you can't even crack a simple joke without someone taking it way too seriously.