PPPS: Here is a totally clarified title: An option to automatically block downvoters with configurable granularity for the scope of the block. See text for detail.
PS: By definition this was always going to attract downvotes, so I'll pay no attention to that. I just want to be clear about one thing: this proposed feature would (obviously) be read-only and opt-in. It is just a development of the existing block feature. It would affect nobody except those who choose to use it.
PPS: I was originally going to submit it to Lemmy issue tracker but I prefer not to use Microsoft Github so for now I'm putting it here instead.
This is a general proposal that concerns Lemmy specifically, but also other forum-alike software that uses ActivityPub, such as Piefed.
For me, the original sin of social media is downvoting (rant incoming). Specifically, its rampant misuse as a "Me no like!!" button. Apart from conveying totally uninteresting information (i.e. a subjective binary opinion), downvoting encourages schoolyard social dynamics and discourages heterodox views (and therefore debate). The nearest in-person equivalent (saying "shut up") is universally considered rude. At scale, the effect of downvoting is to brutalize a community that might otherwise be pleasant and welcoming. I believe this practice is almost always toxic and poisonous. Those who defend it (in good faith, I do not doubt) need to consider the possibility that it has helped to homogenize their communities into people like them (to caricature: insensitive males). Most ordinary people do not participate actively in social media. There's a reason for that.
No, this is not a popular position here (cf. selection bias) and so it will of course be... downvoted. But it's how I see it. I like to think that I've added some value to the fediverse with my contributions, but if there's one thing that regularly causes me to consider leaving, it's this. Going to Beehiv or Blahaj-whatsit is not a solution, because the communities I'm interested in are not there. Hiding downvote scores does not work because... it does not hide the downvoters.
Which gave me an idea. Given that the identity of downvoters is technically public, I propose a new setting: "Auto-block downvoters". That's it. Automatically hide comments (or posts, or anything) by users who have downvoted your contributions. Logical, no? They don't care for what I have to say, and I don't care for their inane negativity. It's win-win! Lots of possible variants:
- Hide [ subsequent | all ] comments by users who have downvoted [ a post | a comment | anything ] by you [ in this thread | on this post | in this community | everywhere]
- Hide [etc] by users with an upvote-downvote ratio lower than [ X ]% etc
Such a setting (especially #1) would immeasurably improve my experience of Lemmy. No exaggeration. I like to think it might also serve as a subtle incentive for users to be more generous and tolerant in their behavior towards others, but that is secondary.
The off-ramp argument is that downvoting is a substitute for shouting back, i.e. a marginal improvement. That's the best argument I have seen for it.
Which you mention in your comment. About the in-person analogs, surely a downvote does not exist beyond jeering and booing. That is exactly my point. It's fine to clap someone's good point, it's not fine to boo and to jeer. Just don't clap. That's what happens in person. It's polite and honest without being hostile.
But we don't have a mechanic for "I've seen this and didn't clap", other than a downvote
If "clap" means "agree with", then personally I'm not looking exclusively for content that I agree with. There's the report button for things that break the rules.
I mean - without downvotes we have no way of signalling "I don't agree with this take, this and that comment voice my opinions"
I don't understand. Of course you have a way to disagree with it. Reply to it, stating why.
The problem with that is then instead of having 15 downvotes and two comments with a bunch of upvotes you will end up with 15 (probably less but just to portray my point) comments all saying more or less the same. And since (IIRC) Lemmy does not have notifications one could enable on other comments, you would be discussing the same thing in 15 separate threads because your interlocutors won't see your responses in the other threads
That's not how blocking works. Or perhaps I was not clear enough. I'm just asking for better controls on the existing "block" feature, that's all. It would change nothing for people who don't use it.
I understand. But with how downvotes are sometimes, but often IMO, used - a vote on agree/disagree, in a way that feature becomes "I don't want to see opinions of people that disagree with me". It does make it exotic
So the chances that it will be developed and tested is rather low, chances that there will be enough social support for having it is rather low
The irony here is precisely that I seem to be the only one who is not marking other people's opinions as "bad". Everyone is doing it to me, I'm doing it to nobody, and yet I'm accused of intolerance. Interesting.
You're right this won't happen. The people who agree with me about this have already left! But I had to put this out there, because I know this feature would really improve my experience here. Which has been mediocre due to all the incessant gratuitous negativity. As I think this post proves once again.
What then, is the response to content that deserves hostility? Misinformation, propaganda, incivility, posting videos without a text synopsis?
Reporting them, of course.
BTW the best moderation system IMO was invented by Slashdot decades ago. No upvotes or downvotes, you have to tag things as "offtopic" or "misinformation" or whatever ("I disagree" not being an option), and then the tags get passed randomly to meta-moderators based on reputation. It works brilliantly but is apparently far too complicated for normies, which is why everyone copied the R-site's terrible binary system.
PS: I wrote "binary" here but meant "ternary". A binary system is in fact an improvement IMO. Upvote / no upvote. This works fine in plenty of forum software, for example Discourse. It functions as quality control without needlessly providing a megaphone for bad vibes.