+1, really like it. So downvotes are for things that suck to a person? That's where my confusion comes from, what are people using the downvote for that's so prevalent it's sacred and needs to be protected? A downvote is one level below a report for me basically, for content that's gone off the rails or levels on breaking a rule (like harassment etc). I wouldn't want reports to be anonymous so they're not abused, just like downvotes. If we're using the vote system for an opinion based algorithm I could understand why people want it private but that's not it's purpose.
In an ideal world a downvote would be used sparingly but people literally downvote things they don't like all the time. I downvote when I see something off-topic or shouldn't belong here, but I can't say the same for most of the platform.
I think it is for the algorithm - people often sort by hot or top, so voting and commenting increases the visibility. Downvotes decrease the visibility.
Thank you, I'll probably touch it up later with actual inserted text fields. Running out of my available free time for the day but it was hot off the press and wanted to get it out there while it was still relevant lol.
Im not sure if I agree. All it takes is one weirdo who now knows you down-voted their one link/discussion/comment and now you have someone stalking you. At least with the current system its not explicit, so only the truly dedicated can find that out.
The truly dedicated can: spin up their own instance, host a bunch of content, wait for you to downvote, then check the logs. Much work to find someone to stalk :)
Whereas I just select someone at random to stalk. Like @Track_Shovel @Track_Shovel@slrpnk.net They're a dirty miner! Ewwwww. ;)
Yep takes a bit of work ATM and doesn't seem worth it. At least right now. I would imagine having years worth of data could be worth money to advertisers. (reddit...etc)
On kbin all votes are public and you can view who down voted or upvoted someone as if it was like Facebook. I've seen people try to call out others for down voting something on there. Mbin is a fork and has the same functionality.
You're asking to engage and interact with a public space (voting is interacting) which defines and creates the tone with complete anonymity. That's not how a conversation or public debate works and is only new to the internet. I think it's been a negative (if we are suppose to view a downvote as only off-topic or spam). No spam bot would bother stalking you, anyone else would be outed with 2 clicks and can be blocked or probably better reported so they're not stalking others on the platform who do comment with their username attached. This is outing the abusers, who would abuse regardless if it's you or the OP.
Anonymity online, much like secret ballots in ancient Greece and other societies, is designed to protect individuals from harassment and bias, encouraging a more diverse participation. Downvoting isn't just for spam but also reflects disagreement, and removing anonymity could discourage honest expression. Instead of exposing users, which risks harm, improving moderation and reporting tools is a more balanced approach.
And one of my posts is literally being used as an example by the larger community.
Okay, sorry, I attempted to draw this as a comic on my phone but it didn't go well, so I settled for a single meme frame instead. I thought this was hilarious, but I guess the joke didn't get through this way. I'll think about whether I should draw it in hand and post again.