Before all the normies heard of reddit, before the mods became ultra special etc etc etc. Feels the same again man! *Strive to teach and help each other fellow Kiwis who all live on these islands we call home. Peace

  • amorangi@lemmy.nz
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    1 year ago

    I joined Reddit in 2006, so I remember a time before subreddits. I remember when upvotes and downvotes actually meant “contributes to the discussion” or “does not contribute to the discussion”. Reddit has degenerated into hive-mind group think, which is often wrong, and is completely unaccepting of views counter to the group. I always thought Slashdot’s approach to voting to be superior - categories of votes rather than a single blunt instrument.

    I actually hope Reddit fails now. It hasn’t been an enjoyable place for discussion in years.

    • jeff@lemmy.nz
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      1 year ago

      We’ve reached the point where the amount of outrage, false info, and bots is too much to handle. We actually need networks like Lemmy or Urbit which are closed off from the public internet, and invite only. Give people an invite code like Gmail did when it was new and coveted. When everyone comes to one place it will naturally degenerate into garbage. That’s why we need a variety of different groups, made by different people. With some more open than others, so there can be actual debates instead of downvote mobs.

      Being able to downvote without contributing any thoughts is just childish and stupid. I hate websites with a downvote feature because it ruins the authenticity of the website. People begin to act cautiously and don’t say what they think, and don’t challenge anyone on a touchy subject. The word “troll” has also lost meaning. It used to mean someone being intentionally disruptive, but now anyone with a different view is just a “troll”. I could go on Reddit and use my real name and I’d be a “troll” for having my own opinion, while anonymous cowards chuck insults from the safety of their keyboards behind a VPN.

      There are ways to handle dissenting views, like having a debating board on a website that’s separate from the main topics. Of course nobody does this on the big websites.