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.
Things that your community wants to see get upvoted.
Things your community does not want to see get downvoted.
If you get rid downvoting you get rid of the vehicle for removing things your communities dont want to see.
If you dont want to see what a bunch of randos are agreeing/disagreeing on, maybe try to find a site that does? Because this is the internet in a nutshell. I dont hate you by downvoting you, im saying to others, hey this person has nothing to say that is important here. And the website pushes that content away from that community via the score. I think lemmy still lets you see the downvoted comments but other fedi services just remove the comments/posts OR hide them automatically. I know some software even removes the post/comment before it even hits the servers. Fedi is powerful in that we can do what we want with the data we get.
I just dont understand your point of view sorry. Maybe if you implement the solution I can better understand.
Its pretty easy to fork Piefed and other such fedi services. Give it a go!
I made mastodon clone where the hashtags are organized like they were lemmy/piefed/threadiverse communities. It worked really well! GL!
My point of view is explained above. I consider downvoting toxic. Everything about it. I have never been entirely comfortable in a community where people are doing it to each other (and me). Just as I'm not comfortable in a room where people are booing and jeering each other. It's not that weird or even unusual a point of view. It's the reason not all community software has this "feature". Lemmy has it and I had an idea of opt-in functionality that would work around it completely. But most users here seem very protective of their right to downvote and to inflict their downvoting on others and they are very clear that they do not want users to have any option to escape from it.
So be it. You're right to say "just fork it" but I have neither the time nor the skills to fork forum software. So I'll probably just continue to gradually leave the communities I participate in (now down to only about 3 that I value) and eventually I'll leave altogether like I did with corporate social media. A bit of a shame but there are worse tragedies in the world.
Thanks for the advice and feedback, which was far more constructive and generous-spirited than most in this discussion.