I am a reddit refugee. Keep seeing that this is supposed to be somehow better than Reddit. As far as I can tell, it follows a similar format, less restrictive on posts being removed I suppose. But It looks like people still get down vote brigaded on some communities. So I’m curious, how it’s better?

  • @mke
    2•25 days ago

    The more I see how people use downvotes, the less I like them as a feature in general. I don’t downvote things anymore.

    • Everyone can upvote, which already brings the most popular content to the top. Why does the system need another dimension to it?
      • I often see unpopular comments at the bottom, with scores like +2 -9… The absence of downvotes wouldn’t make a difference in content ordering, because the previous comment is simply +4.
    • If I disagree with someone enough to act on it, it’s my rule to explain why. A minus one is nearly useless as feedback.
      • Then, once I’ve replied, what’s the point of downvoting? Everyone can read my thoughts.
      • Replies can be upvoted too, for people who think truth comes down to a battle of internet points.
    • If I honestly believe something is bad or harmful to the community, it should probably be reported, not (merely) downvoted.

    Downvotes as they are seem like outdated design on the human interaction level. They fail to iterate on years of knowledge gained since their inception.

    • aasatru
      3•27 days ago

      I generally downvote in two scenarios. One is if someone is being a jerk, which is not necessarily enough for a report but always annoying. The other is if they are sharing misinformation, even if I believe they mean nothing bad with it.

      I think it has it’s place as a way to reduce visibility.

      And sometimes I enjoy getting downvotes - there are times I knowingly rub a group of people (generally authoritarians) the wrong way, and I’m happy to see the message is well received. ;)

      • @mke
        3•27 days ago

        I’ve taken to replying in both cases :^)

        When I have the time and energy, that is. A lot of my comments are just me adding what I hope is relevant context or correcting what I assume is accidental misinformation.

        I understand reducing visibility of “bad” content, I’m just not sure the tool is worth its negative side effects.

        • aasatru
          2•27 days ago

          Yeah, time and energy is key. But I do notice quite a bit of these types of quality interactions here - it’s very much appreciated! :)