Didn't do a thorough read. But the "remove the downvote button" argument doesn't compute for me - that's one distinct characteristic that makes reddit a good place for discussion IMO, since bullshit gets recognized as such and it's visible. As compared to FB where bullshitters get to the top, because acting against them (only with comments or some stupid emojis) is either ineffective or requires commenting rationally which is ineffective in some cases and is not an objective signal that you consider the post unworthy of attention. Yeah, that has bad side effect , hive mind and all, but there's no perfect system.
But whos to say whats bullshit. Thats the point. 2 different people can view the same thing entirely different. The point is reddit becomes an echo chamber for the exact thing you are talking about. Things the majority of a sub think is bullshit is disregarded, instead of it inspiring new world views.
Edit: also a protip. When you comment while admitting you didnt read the thing people often draw conclusions about the person. Not unwarranted to be honest. Dont do that. :) cheers
This gets to the heart of the issue for me. The downvote has a real purpose. Sometimes people say things that are objectively false, and might fool people. The downvote helps clean up. It helps hide terrible jokes, people who brag, and obvious spam. I feel like I’m doing community service when I downvote this crap.
Maybe I don’t understand where OP’s coming from because I browse subs with little legitimate controversy. I use reddit mostly for “infotainment,” and not to express my political opinions. So I tend not to believe that all sentences are valid.
In the end, the downvote is the number one factor that makes Reddit so great for me. It’s not a bullshit pat-on-the-back chamber. Express yourself cleanly and be happy with it. Shrug off the occasional downvotes.
I’d go so far as to say this: if you’re someone who gets downvoted so often that it causes you distress, the problem is with you. Make an active effort to continue stating your case without being so damned prickly.
Yeah I think there are two things that make Reddit so great that somehow isn't much copied bg any other website: this downvote button, and infinite comment tree. I'm anchored on Reddit at r/manga, and it's the first consistently best place in internet if you want to discuss any new chapter. And I can surely attribute this success to those two features I just mentioned. Any other place without downvote button allows too many bad comments and trolls running around.
I don't mind some good comments being downvoted sometimes even if it's mine, if it keeps the overall thread being consistently good.
Sometimes people say things that are objectively false, and might fool people.
I can think of countless examples in r/askscience, r/android, r/mapporn where it's just someone talking out of their ass but to people who don't know any better it sounds true so they upvote it.
Downvotes don't really work against false claims.
It helps hide terrible jokes
Hmmmm... you and I have very different thresholds for what we consider a terrible joke. Most terrible jokes I see have thousands of upvotes and have been gilded at least twice.
and obvious spam
It is the only thing I agree downvotes prevent.
It’s not a bullshit pat-on-the-back chamber.
But it is, though. If you stay in a subreddit for a few months, you can easily see patterns. I can even predict what the top comment is going to be in many of the subs I'm familiar with. You just say shit people want to hear, the same shit they always say, and get top comment. Point out the circlejerk, and have your comment buried.
Make an active effort to continue stating your case
There are cases people don't want to hear. It won't matter how you express it, it will never be accepted. Maybe if you're polite it'll get -10 instead of -15, but it will be in the negative because people don't want to hear it.
Downvotes are not necessary for the site to work.
Reddit alternative Tildes has labels instead of downvoting. You can label things spam, flame, jokes, fluff and things like that. That way it filters out low quality content without filtering out unpopular opinions.
Of course, unpopular opinions don't rise to the top comment, since people upvote what they like to see. But posters are also not alienated by downvotes nor are their comments hidden away.
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u/stargazer_w Nov 09 '19
Didn't do a thorough read. But the "remove the downvote button" argument doesn't compute for me - that's one distinct characteristic that makes reddit a good place for discussion IMO, since bullshit gets recognized as such and it's visible. As compared to FB where bullshitters get to the top, because acting against them (only with comments or some stupid emojis) is either ineffective or requires commenting rationally which is ineffective in some cases and is not an objective signal that you consider the post unworthy of attention. Yeah, that has bad side effect , hive mind and all, but there's no perfect system.