u/Mods and u/Rockers: Constructing community identity through moderation practices in location-based subreddits

This study examines the relationship between moderation practices and communityidentity in location-based subreddits, exploring how these dynamics influence discourse and governance in digital spaces. Through a qualitative approach analyzing thousands of posts across multiple location-based subreddits, this research finds that moderation practices do not significantly alter the topics discussed but instead provide a channel through which users negotiate relevance and community norms. Community identity, in turn, plays a crucial role in informing moderation practices, as users collectively challenge, reinterpret, and reinforce guidelines in ways that reflect local culture and digital engagement norms. The study highlights the interplay between platform policies, user behaviors, and digital governance– revealing that subreddit communities function through an ongoing negotiation between moderation and user agency. These findings contribute to broader discussions on online community formation, digital moderation, and the evolving role of user participation in shaping digital public spheres.