When Is Digital Censorship Permissible? A Conversation Norms Account.

The article investigates the psychology of digital censorship concerning user-generated content on social media platforms, identifying three key dimensions that consumers believe should guide censorship decisions: content (presence of negative, concrete attributes), intent (the creator’s purpose behind the content), and outcome (the consequences of allowing the content). Through seven studies, the research finds that people’s acceptance of censorship is strongly influenced by the perceived intent of the content creator, even when the content includes negative elements or leads to harmful outcomes—a concept termed the "intent-sensitivity hypothesis." This intent sensitivity is moderated by contextual factors such as platform purpose (stronger on social versus professional platforms) and audience intimacy (stronger in more intimate conversational settings). The findings suggest that digital censorship policies should move beyond a one-size-fits-all, content-only approach and incorporate conversational norms, particularly creator intent, to better align with user expectations and inform platform governance and legal standards.