Mainstream social media platforms function as "walled garden" ecosystems that restrict user agency, control, and data portability. They have demonstrated a lack of transparency that contributes to a multitude of online harms. Our research investigates how decentralization might present promise as an alternative model to walled garden platforms. Specifically, we describe the user-driven content moderation through blocks as an expression of agency on Bluesky, a decentralized social platform. We examine the impact of providing users with more granular control over their online experiences, including what they post, who can see it, and whose content they are exposed to. We describe the patterns identified in user-driven content moderation and suggest directions for further research.

翻译：主流社交媒体平台作为"围墙花园"生态系统运行，限制了用户的自主性、控制权及数据可移植性。这些平台已表现出缺乏透明度，助长了多种网络危害。本研究探讨去中心化如何有望成为围墙花园平台的替代模式。具体而言，我们以去中心化社交平台Bluesky为例，将用户通过屏蔽功能实现的自主内容审核描述为用户自主性的体现。我们研究了赋予用户对其网络体验更精细控制权的影响，包括发布内容、可见范围及接触内容来源。本文描述了用户驱动型内容审核中发现的模式，并提出了未来研究方向。