Imo this gets to the crux of how "people don't want to work" is such horseshit. People don't mind, or even like working to share knowledge and build community. And when they have the capacity and free time, they'll do it for no pay.

People don't want to work at something that feels like it makes no difference in their world or the world, when they're not getting treated well or paid enough. They'll work at things that deserve it in their life.

Modding can be quite tiresome. But it also comes from a place of wanting to see a community exist and be healthy.

If I want a GameBoy community on Lemmy... Someone needs to create it, someone needs to make sure it's organized.

If I want people asking for relationship advice to have a safe space... Someone needs to create and moderate that space.

So it's tiresome, sure, but humans do things for passion, fun, community, love. It doesn't need to be profitable.

It’s labor, but a labor of love.

I’ve been a mod for several different communities over the years, not just reddit-type forums but also IRC, discord, twitch etc. I’m now “retired” because I have too much going on irl and don’t have time, but anyway.

As someone who was a mod for literal decades: for me personally, it was always about love of whatever community or project I was volunteering at. Wanting it to be a safe, welcoming and pleasant environment for everyone, helping people when they had questions or problems, and so on.

To be brutally honest, yeah, it’s a thankless job. The average internet user really has no idea what mods deal with, especially if they’re working with larger/more popular communities. Over the years, I’ve dealt with a lot of harassment, stalking, death threats, even a smear campaign (well, there was an attempt, lmao). You’d be shocked how vicious people can become over the most trivial, unimportant shit — to give you an idea, someone once sent me a death threat because I told them to knock it off when they were spamming the same question on twitch chat. I’ve been doxxed for banning someone for posting content that was against the rules of a forum, and accused of being a shill for several different web sites. I was also told I was an “authoritarian” for enforcing rules such as “no self-promo” and “no affiliate links” etc., and I’ve been accused of “censorship” for banning Holocaust deniers and flat earthers.

That’s not to mention the really ugly shit. Someone photoshopped a picture of my dog to make it look like he was decapitated and sent it to me. I’ve been sent things I had to contact the authorities about, literally like, actually illegal, horrible stuff.

And the reason those things were sent to me was always something completely fucking unimportant, by any measure. Like just inane internet stuff. I’ve never been a moderator for any kind of “serious” community, never anything political or anything like that, just anime, video games, digital art, etc.

So why did I do it for so long, and plan to do it again when I have the time?

As someone who has struggled with loneliness due to an unfortunate combination of mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and agoraphobia, I know better than most how vital online spaces can be. I know how important it is to have a place where one can talk to likeminded folks who share the same hobby, passions, and so on. I probably wouldn’t be alive right now if I hadn’t had access to those spaces, and I want to do my part not only to give back as a show of gratitude, but also to make sure that others like me have a place where they feel welcome, safe and seen (in a good way).

Being a mod was how I met just about every person in my life that isn’t family. My best friends were on the same mod team as me; my husband was a member of a community I moderated, as were many of my oldest and dearest friends. I don’t know what my life would’ve been like without the internet.

So, that’s why.

TLDR: the good outweighs the bad.

There's an underground economy of...

To be useful in their free time, presumably. And it doesn't really take a lot of time either, since Lemmy is still quite young. It has benefits such as providing people, such as you, with spaces and communities where they can express themselves safely. An example would be this community, where you were able to ask this question without a worry :)

I want to help support my community on lemmy!

I would have never bothered modding for reddit, because I don't give a shit if reddit succeeds or dies, but I want lemmy to succeed!

Tbh I'm thinking about starting one. I don't want to at all, but I'm seriously contemplating it, while simultaneously hoping it pops up on my feed, which is the current problem.

I just really like talking about 90s TV.

It may seem a lot of work, but it gives people tasks to do in their free time and contribute to a community and makes sure that everything is in balance and order as people want to see these communities thrive.

Mostly personal satisfaction and a way to kill time.

Because it causes you brain to release dopamine when you help building and maintaining something others (and yourself) enjoy.

they do it for free