Far too often, lately, I see lots of people worried about the number of downvotes, or making preliminary justifications and requests to not downvote particular posts.
Me? I don’t have to think about any of that. The content of the posts and comments determines their quality, not some artificial number that only represents whether people dis/like something.
Edit: Wow, a lot of people from other instances seem really offended that I don’t like downvoting and seem a bit confused that I’d be thanking my admins for something I appreciate.
If you like downvoting, you don’t have to move here. Enjoy your instance’s features. Welcome to the Fediverse.
You also don’t see the upvote count either, unless you have it enabled. My instance for some reason doesn’t allow me to downvote anyone, and I can’t see upvotes.
To me it just sounds like you want to feel good about the things you’re able to make others agree on, and simply don’t want to face the fact that sometimes you may say awful stuff.
The above is not directed at you but anyone who would say yes upvotes, no downvotes.
If I downvoted your comment right now, because I disagreed with it, what does that tell you? Are you wrong? Am I just an asshole having a bad day? How would you know? What if nobody reads your comment, because it falls outside their filters? Is your comment any less rational? How do you ensure quality dissent is protected?
Downvoting is a lazy way to make a comment. It tells you nothing about the quality of its content, only that some people disagreed with it. Meanwhile I could provide actual critique of your comments, which provides that all-too-necessary context, and I can always dissent with or without downvoting.
But to your point about upvotes, I prefer commentary/critique plus offering an upvote as extra dopamine for the commentor where warranted. Life has plenty of negativity without filing our lives with more that isn’t strictly necessary. I don’t need nor want to “punish” people with downvotes, hence why I’m on this instance.
So no, it’s not just because people like me “don’t want to face that we say say awful stuff,” because that presumes downvoting is only used for “awful stuff” and that we are just trying to avoid consequences; it’s a baseless strawman of people like me who just want a more positive experience and aren’t trying to recreate Reddit.
ETA: also, I just noticed that you’re on my instance. I don’t know what is going on with your client, but Reddthat has upvotes enabled. Maybe it’s the app you’re using…?
Probably just my app, nor have I ever cared. Points are entirely imaginary, however I do like being able to ignore the obvious trolls, which downvoting helps with.
Yes you can make reports, you can block, you can do all sorts of things. However, isn’t it easier when crowd sourced? Hive minds absolutely are an issue, but they are just as much an issue with upvotes and downvotes. If I see someone is already actively critiquing and commenting on an asshole, why should I jump in? Rather id prefer to be able to add my-1 and move on with the day.
Easier? Maybe, but I find that option far more dangerous. Mobs are fucking stupid, and they can’t be reasoned with.
No thanks. I’ll trust my moderation to the admins, and if I don’t like it, I can pick a different instance or block people. That’s the beauty of the Fediverse.
And this is exactly my point; I wouldn’t. Adding a -1 isn’t a contribution, in my eyes. It’s an illusion of one. The person doing the critique is doing the actual work, and downvoting is just lazy commentary.
And thus, I’ve made a post directed at the admins of this instance encouraging and thanking them for their decision to keep downvoting turned off. If you aren’t a fan, you can actually find an instance that is more suited to the experience you want and still remain a part of Lemmy and the Fediverse.