I am an anarchist, so the idea of the community doing all the work, creating content, and then mods basically ruling over them as a reward, just doesn't sit right with me.
We the users should collectively be in control of all our social media, economically and with regards of controling what goes on, on there.
All social media get's its value from the users i.e. the network effect. However the users are subjected to a hierachical place where individuals in power act as tyrants.
We create the value we should be in charge.
Fellow Lemmings how can we create social media were the users are king/queen?
post Scriptum: just having a voting mechanism, might be gamed by unsavory charcters or groups to game such a system, unless voting requires your clear name id, which comes with other issues of course.
this is exactly what this post is asking, of course the issue is broader and entails other issues like how to actually represent the community will without distortions and so forth...
Idk myself otherwise I would be working on the implementation already. I think maybe if the communty can vote out users that might be a first starting point, but then it would devolve into mob rule and that is not freedom but just might makes right.
The simple answer is; it won't work. It works in theory if - and only IF - all people involved will automatically behave on their own and treat all others with respect. An open-to-all social media website without any moderation at all will attract assholes sooner or later, and it will turn into a shitshow eventually. The question is not IF it will happen, but WHEN.
What you are asking for is like planting a garden full of flowers, deciding to never ever weed out the plants you don't like, and then wondering why you end up with an overgrown, tangled mess instead of a flower field. It won't magically regulate itself just because you don't want a gardener.
Maybe not no moderation but rather no mods. Moderation could be somehow community driven. If you get a certain number of downvotes you are out. But that would have other issues like mob rule.