Contributed by: ElyseRomano on Wednesday, November 21 2012 @ 11:15 am
Last modified on
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to your new favorite thing on the Internet.
It's called "Thats Not OkCupid" and it's the brainchild of Christopher Cantwell, an OkCupid moderator who has been exposed to all the best and worst the site has to offer.
Cantwell did not set out to become an OkCupid moderator but, like many others in his position, he was tapped from the site's userbase just 6 months after joining. He joined the ranks of those who are tasked with reviewing posts flagged by OkCupid users and marking the profiles "deleted," "left alone" or "can't tell."
Guidelines include "No nudity," "No spamming," "No hate speech," and "No commercial solicitations." A moderator can see comments and rulings from other moderators, but can't see the moderators' names or the ultimate decisions made on issues. Though Cantwell never had ambitions to join the lofty ranks of the OkCupid moderators, he was notified that he had randomly been selected for the position and suddenly found himself with access to a side of the site that most never see.
"Most of it is kind of frivolous," he told the Huffington Post. "Out of a few dozen [complaints], I'd say I've only flagged two or three for deletion." His new gig has, however, provided interesting insight into the minds of online daters and the inner workings of the industry.
When asked what he's learned about people since becoming a moderator, Cantwell says "I've learned that people are nitpicking and if they see something they don't like, they'll flag it for no good reason." He also says he's seen plenty of nude photos and scammers, but isn't phased by most anything he encounters.
The one exception was an experience with child pornography. The FBI demanded that the illegal images be kept intact, because they were in the midst of an active investigation and wanted to see who was accessing it. Cantwell called the experience "pretty disturbing."
He doesn't appear to be taking much away from his experience as a moderator. "People are nosey busybodies," he says, and when asked why he thinks people act the way they do online, his answer is simply "because they're *ssh*les."
"I really have no faith in the human race," he emphasizes. "I look at this stuff, I look at politics and I think people are idiots and there's just no hope for them."
What a cheery and uplifting outlook on humanity. At least it produced a hilarious blog.
To find out more about the dating site you can read our OkCupid review.