Reporting

In the context of social media, reporting refers to the act of flagging and notifying a specific piece of content, an account, or a comment that a user deems inappropriate and suspicious. When a user reports something, they are essentially bringing it to the platform's attention for review. Usually, something that is reported has violated community guidelines, terms of service, or is otherwise harmful and offensive.

Most often, platforms have a kind of moderation system in place for dealing with reports–a combination of automated and human moderation–that is used to determine what happens with the reported material. The reporting act doesn't usually guarantee that something will be taken down. It definitely doesn't guarantee that it will be taken down immediately.

But reporting does serve as a kind of feedback mechanism. It tells platforms where users have encountered issues and puts pressure on them to invest in moderation practices. The reporting feature is one that most platforms have, and it is typically an easy process for users.

You find the report button near the material in question. You click it. And voila!

You have somewhat anonymously, and now confidentially, reported some content to the platform in question.