A bit too often taking part in discussions on Reddit was just mentally draining. Initially the topic looks so promising and I would love to discuss it. But too often people were not interested in sharing ideas beyond their own opinion, and many people were obsessed with “winning” the discussion.
Trying so discuss the finer points back and forth in a satisfying way was a rare occasion. Even In not so big subreddits you would think were filled with like minded people this was difficult. and comments were trying to end the discussion instead of coming with an idea and trying to further it.
How can we all promote good discussion on this site or the wider fediverse?
This may seem very petty, but I wonder how much the lack of permanent user karma has an effect. I doubt many people here even cared about it, but on Reddit it seemed to drive a lot of the lazy hanger-on comments that were cheap karma boosts.
My understanding is that the fake internet points were once a motivator, but with enough karma, an account could be auctioned off and used to post bot content while ranking high in the Reddit algorithms.
I think that once people see Lemmy as a means to have genuine conversations, that’s what’s going to stick. Heck, this is the most active I’ve even been across any platform. I’ve fired up a few communities and I’m engaging after almost 15 years lurking.
It’s a small enough community that I feel I’m making an impact. That’s why I’m sticking around and ditching my Reddit account.
There was certainly a profit motive. That’s a reason for the kinds of bots that would repost popular posts in an attempt to build up karma.
There was also just good old fashioned psychological addiction to having a bigger number tied to an account. Over the years I’ve seen plenty of huffs about account or post karma by real people who were really riled up.
I mean, if those points could buy marshmallows or something, that’s worth gloating. Otherwise, it’s an odd pursuit and use of time. I suppose it could be a form of primal resource hoarding, in a way.
I don’t disagree that it is irrational. This is exactly my point: The kinds of people who value meaningless points tied to their account create a lower standard of discussion. When the goal is more points at all costs, it conflicts with quality. The lack of account total points on Lemmy doesn’t appeal to such a person.
Nailed it. I’m curious to see how that turns out. I love the idea that a user, community, or entire instance can be blocked to keep a higher standard of discussion.